


The Strength to Fight

by DameCryver



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9090574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameCryver/pseuds/DameCryver
Summary: With the increase in dragon attacks lately, more and more people have had the misfortune to fall victim to these attacks. Towns and cities ravaged and destroyed by these monsters, innocent people falling helplessly to them. Once beautiful homes and rich farmland gone in a matter of seconds. 
Lee Jooheon, a common villager boy, is one of many victims. 
When his home is terrorized by these mythical creatures, he's left with nothing as the result. Everything that he'd known and loved taken away from him by these beasts, and he will do whatever it takes to get his revenge. 
But when you're just a normal, magicless human with no real skill in fighting - let alone fighting dragons - what can Jooheon really do?





	1. Lee Jooheon

**Author's Note:**

> The fantasy AU nobody really asked for but here it is!  
> Jooheony doesn't get enough love tbh and so I wanted to write a story where it's mostly centered around him. Which is weird bc I originally planed for this to be mainly about hyungwonnie lol oops  
> But it's fine bc he's still a big part of the story  
> Also this ships really cute and needs to be recognized plz I can't be the only one who ships it  
> This is my first fanfic in years that I'm actually posting so I'm more than a little nervous about it... But I've put so much thought into this au that I couldn't leave it unwritten and I'm so proud of how it's turning out that I thought it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to post online so, here it is!  
> Idk when I'll be able to update again bc usually I like long ass chapters but I'll try to not take months ok lol   
> Also this is entirely typed up on my phone so any weird Grammer errors I apologize for

Jooheon isn't sure how it happened. Doesn't know when it happened and most importantly, doesn't know _why_. 

 

One minute he's enjoying a peaceful dinner with his family and the next he's standing between them and a giant, fire breathing dragon. 

 

Why a dragon decided to attack Jooheon’s small village was beyond him, he was sure that they'd done nothing to anger the beast and it wasn't like he lived anywhere near a mountain region where dragon attacks were more likely to occur anyways. Yet here it was, setting fire to all the houses and crops, destroying everything in its path in a blind rampage and even eating the people who were unfortunate enough to come across it. 

 

So when Jooheon found himself in the dragon's path he had an instant loss of hope. He tried to be courageous, tried to be strong to save his family but honestly even Jooheon himself wanted to hide and run away. Despite that, he steeled himself against it in favor of his family's safety. Or at least tried to. 

 

His legs felt weak and ready to give out underneath him and he can't hold his sword straight without it trembling in his hands. He's scared. He's so fucking terrified as he stares back into the dragon's large, golden eyes that hold nothing but malicious intent behind them. 

 

When staring deep into its eyes Jooheon thinks to himself that his chances of survival are minimal. No. He knows full well that he'll die here, there's no way a simple villager such as himself whose only practiced in sword play as a sport could even begin to hold his ground against a dragon like this.

 

The thing seemed to tower above Jooheon. It stood on all four, had a large tail and two wings pulled back. It had long, sharp claws and given that it could that it could breath fire, Jooheon had an idea of some of the many ways he could die in the hands of this dragon. It had long horns and tough scales a deep crimson color that seemed to shine in the fire's reflection. Can Jooheon’s sword even pierce them? He doubted it. 

 

Despite that, Jooheon wanted nothing more than to ensure his family's safety, and if that meant sacrificing himself in favor of that than so be it. 

 

“G-go! Just run, I - I'll be right behind you, I swear!” He called back to his family, feeling a bit of guilt at the blatant lie, never pulling his eyes away from the beast’s. 

 

They tried to reason, saying that they wouldn't leave without Jooheon, but he wouldn't listen to any of it.

 

Though he'd be lying if he said that hearing those words, of them showing that they care about him just as much as he does them didn't make him at least a little happy in his final moments. That it didn't make sacrificing himself all the more better if it meant their survival.

 

So they did as told, yelling at Jooheon to come back alive. 

 

He couldn't make that promise. 

 

However, when they started to run in the opposite direction, they immediately pulled the dragon's attention away from Jooheon. 

 

Panic tore through him as the dragon started to move away from him in favor of the others. _No. Stop. Please leave them be!_

 

Without thinking, Jooheon turned with it and haphazardly swung his sword in hopes of gaining the dragon's attention. 

 

He succeeded. He'd managed to cut into the leathery wing membrane, leaving a gash in the middle. 

 

The dragon let out a road and immediately turned back to Jooheon, making him freeze in place. Now he'd done it, now it's even angrier than before and the look in its eyes said it was ready to take Jooheon’s life. 

 

It all happened too fast for Jooheon to remember correctly. 

 

One second the dragon closes in on Jooheon, and the next he sees nothing but darkness. 

 

***

 

Jooheon felt himself slowly regain consciousness, and with it came an intense pain that lingered on the left side of his cheek and arm, from what, though, he wasn't sure. 

 

He slowly opened his eyes, his vision taking its time to come into focus before he's met with an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? 

 

Jooheon tried to turn his head to look around before a sharp pain shot through his head sprouting from his left cheek. He hissed and quickly retreated back to his original position, he'd rather stay put if it meant avoiding that kind of pain again. 

 

Despite just waking up, Jooheon feels exhausted and ready to pass out again but he tries to stay awake in hopes of remembering the events beforehand. Of how he got here and most importantly of what happened. Being in his exhausted state he had trouble remember anything correctly. 

 

“Oh! You're awake!” An unfamiliar voice called. Suddenly a person with pink hair and sharp facial features appears in his line of vision and they have a concerned look in their eyes. “Well, mostly awake…” he observes. 

 

“Where..” Jooheon flinches at the sudden pain in his throat and is surprised by how hoarse his voice is. He realizes his throat feels unbearably dry. He clears his throat and tries again, much gentler this time as to not hurt himself, “Where am I?“

 

“Ah, you're in my house. Specifically in the capital of the kingdom.” 

 

Shocked at the news, Jooheon almost bolts upright before the sharp pain reminds him that he should really stay still. The capitol of the kingdom? Why is he here? His village was thousands of miles away, he shouldn't be here.

 

“H-how? Why am I here, what happened?”

 

A look of pity flashes across the pink haired man's face and he asks, “Do you not remember what happened?”

 

Jooheon gently shakes his head. 

 

The other male seems to contemplate something before he holds up a staff to Jooheon, “You need to rest to recover your wounds for a little longer. Then I'll explain properly what happened.”

 

Before Jooheon could protest, the pink haired man waved the staff around and Jooheon instantly fell into a deep sleep. 

 

***

 

Three weeks pass and Jooheon’s condition is significantly better. The pain in his arm and cheek still remain, but it's dulled now and not as strong anymore. It can easily be forgotten. 

 

Jooheon can finally move around freely without the fear of pain shooting through his body, so long as he didn't overdo it of course. His throat was now longer dry and he could talk fine now. 

 

The pink haired man, who he later found out was a cleric named Kihyun, had been helping him recover with the help of his healing magic. 

 

While Kihyun was able to speed up the healing process, he could not fully recover every wound. Small wounds such as the cuts and bruises littered all throughout Jooheon’s body were no problem for the skilled healer, however the deep gashes in his cheeks and 3rd degree burns on his arm were a whole other story. While Kihyun could help numb the pain and speed the process up, Jooheon would forever be stuck with the disgusting burn scars and claw marks that stretched from his cheek to his neck. 

 

Kihyun was kind to the younger and was even able to find a friend in him. He'd find out a lot about the pink haired boy, about how he liked to clean and cook and how he nagged like an old lady. He'd constantly check on Jooheon’s condition, offering anything to help the healing process. When Jooheon was healthy enough to move, Kihyun even put him to do some chores around the house as to distract the younger. Kihyun was not only kind but funny as well and they hit it off, making Jooheon’s recovery process a little easier to go through if he had Kihyun by his side. They talked a lot and even when they didn't they were comfortable. In the three weeks together they fell into a sort of domestic routine, despite knowing each other for very little time. 

 

Jooheon noticed a lot about Kihyun. Kihyun was passionate about the art of healing and helped almost everyone who was in need. Jooheon saw a variety of people come in seeking the clerics help. From things as insignificant as a common cold to battle wounds that needed immediate attention (Jooheon would always hide away in the room he'd been staying in when those kind of people walked in). 

 

Jooheon noticed that Kihyun was truly a kind soul and maybe that's why he found himself getting comfortable easily. Kihyun was kind enough to help Jooheon recover and to even give him a place to stay. 

 

In that time Jooheon would later find out that him being there was the result of a dragon attack on his village, memories of that dark night flooding his mind. The fire, the dragon itself, him being so stupid enough as to try to face the dragon. 

 

However, he did feel grateful that he somehow survived that encounter, he'd been so certain of his death that day that he thanked every all mighty being that may be listening for his survival. 

 

Jooheon tried asking about the other villagers, of any survivors from his village but Kihyun refused to answer him, stating that he couldn't be the one to answer that question just yet. 

 

So in those three weeks of recovery, Jooheon was in a state of constant worry over the people in his village and how they'd fare without their homes. But most of all he was worried about his family. He was thankful for Kihyun for successful distracting him from these thoughts when he could, but they always lingered or came back tenfold when he was alone. 

 

Did they get away? Where were they now? How are they doing? These thoughts consistently clouded Jooheon’s mind. Jooheon decided that the first thing he'd do when he could leave was to track them down. 

 

However, those plans changed when Kihyun brought some of his friends over to visit the younger. 

 

“Jooheon, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine, Hoseok and Hyunwoo. They're the ones who found you and brought you to me.” Kihyun introduced, motioning to the two men walking through the door. 

 

“Hey, you look so much better than when we found you! I'm glad. I'm Hoseok by the way, but you can just call me Wonho.” the shorter of the two new guests said, waving and smiling at Jooheon. He had silver hair with the ends dyed blue slicked back to show his forehead. 

 

Hyunwoo bowed, a much more formal greeting in contrast to Wonho’s smiley entrance and careless waving. He had short black hair, a stoic facial expression and sharp eyes, but gave Jooheon a small smile, “Hello. I'm Hyunwoo, but please call me Shownu.”

 

Jooheon couldn't help but notice how well built the two were and given from the weapons hanging at their sides, they were most likely some sort or warriors or even knights. 

 

Jooheon nodded, “Wonho, Shownu,” the younger bowed his head to the two deeply, “Thank you so much for saving me. I owe you my life.” in that moment, an overwhelming sense of gratitude flooded Jooheon. If they hadn't found him unconscious on the ground that night, surely he would have died. 

 

“Ah, you should be thanking Wonho, without his enhanced senses, we wouldn't have even guessed you were alive when we found you.” Shownu said, looking to the silver haired man. 

 

“What? Don't say that, if you weren't there with me I don't think Jooheon would have survived!” Wonho grinned at the eldest, nudging Shownu with his elbow. 

 

“Enhanced senses?” Jooheon asked curiously, looking at Wonho. “Is that natural? As in, you're not…?” he let his voice trail off, scared of what the other could be. A vampire perhaps? Jooheon heard that vampires were superior to human in every way, so it make sense, but the thought that he could possibly be sharing a room with one scared the younger male. 

 

Wonho turned to Jooheon and quickly explained, “Ah, no I'm one hundred percent human! It's just magic. I'm no Kihyun when it comes to magical ability, but I can use a few spells here and there to make myself a little stronger for a short moment. Whenever we're on rescue mission, I make all my sense stronger in order to find survivors more easily. It was shallow and slow, but your heartbeat was what helped me know you were alive. Now, I may be a wonderful knight and all, but that doesn't mean I can heal or patch up wounds. Shownu here was at least able to stop the bleeding and carry you off to safety.”

 

“Simple first aid is something every soldier should know how to do, it was nothing.” 

 

Wonho laughed and smacked Shownu’s back, though he seemed unfazed… “You're too humble! Too humble!”

 

Before either of them spoke up again, Kihyun said, “Hey! Stop stalling, you came here for a reason!”

 

Wonho’s playful attitude suddenly changed dark and grim, and Jooheon couldn't help but feel concerned about it. “Right.” he said, turning to Jooheon, “We came here to fill you in on your village.”

 

Jooheon felt dread creep up on him, judging from the look on their faces, it wasn't good news at all. But Jooheon had to know, it's been eating at him for weeks now. “What… what happened?”

 

Wonho turned to Shownu, obviously not wanting to be the one to break the news to the boy. Shownu sighed and took a seat on one of the chairs beside Jooheon’s bed before he spoke. 

 

“Dragon attacks have recently become more common for unknown reasons. You're village, along with many others, have fallen victim to these attacks. They're acting up, and because of that, you're entire village was destroyed. I'm really sorry, Jooheon.”

 

Jooheon guessed that that was the case. He remembered almost every house set aflame, but it still hurt him to know that none of what used to be his home remained. 

 

Gulping down the lump in his throat, he asked the question he dreaded most. “How many survivors were there?”

 

Even if it was for a short time, Jooheon had managed to distract the dragon and pull its attention away from everyone. He gave them time to run, gave his family time to escape, surely a few survived and Jooheon had to know who, or at least a number. 

 

However, what Shownu said next was not what the other was expecting. 

 

“Just one.”

 

Jooheons eyes widened in shock and he felt his world crumbling down around him. His heart suddenly felt like led and his body went numb, unable to take the news. One? One survivor? But how… his family… Were they dead too? Did everything Jooheon do to let them escape mean nothing? 

 

“You… you don't mean me? Do you? Tell me I'm not that one survivor...” the youngest begged, voice cracking mid sentence. Maybe Shownu meant one other person, not including Jooheon. 

 

A look of pity flashed on Shownu’s face, and he averted his gaze, unable to face the younger. Instead of answering verbally, he simply nodded. 

 

“But… my parents, I… I saw them… I saw them run away… how… how did…?” Jooheon stumbled over his words as he looked between the two. “Oh God… and everyone else too? How? So many people… and… none escaped?” The younger’s voice cracked as he spoke, eyes sparkling with tears, “Please… tell me that this is some sick joke you always play on people who are attacked by dragons… please..” Jooheon pleaded. He waited for the two to say something but it never came. 

 

Jooheon turned to Kihyun, who had a sad look on his face upon hearing the news as well. “Kihyun… tell them to stop this, it's… it's not funny!” hot tears were not streaming down his face and he felt unbearably sick. 

 

The pink haired man only looked at him with a sad look in his eyes. “I'm so sorry, Jooheon…”

 

This time, Wonho spoke up, though he didn't look any better than Shownu and Kihyun. In face, he himself looked like he was about ready to cry as well. He was facing the ground and his hands were balled into fists, clearly frustrated and upset. “W-when we got there it was already too late. If… if we'd just gotten there sooner, we… we could've saved your family and the others…” he bowed deeply to the other, “I'm so sorry.”

 

***

 

Two weeks pass after the news is broken to Jooheon and the younger is much more quieter and withdrawn (and understandably so). 

 

Kihyun knew he must have been going through so much. Not only did he find out his home village was completely destroyed, but no one other than himself survived the attack. His entire world was taken away from him in a matter of minutes. 

 

Not only that, but everyone from said village was no longer here with him. Friends, family, loved ones, all gone. He was left all alone. 

 

What was Jooheon going to do? 

 

Kihyun watched over Jooheon carefully and tried to show the younger that he was there for him, but still tried to give him his space. Despite not knowing each other well, Kihyun was there to talk to him if Jooheon wanted to talk. The pink haired man always offered his shoulder to cry on, and a few times Jooheon took him up on the offer when his emotions became too much. 

 

Kihyun had to be the one to remind Jooheon to eat, to remind him that he should get out of bed, and he tried to distract him with small talk. Anything to ease the younger’s pain. 

 

He guessed that it worked, because another week later and Jooheon was doing things on his own without being told or asked. He still wasn't as energetic as before, but it was definitely an improvement. 

 

Jooheon’s eyes, which held little to no life in them after the news, were now shining with something Kihyun couldn't decipher. There was still a look of grief over them, but something else as well that seemed to burn with passion, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact feeling. 

 

Kihyun was impressed by how quickly Jooheon was recovering from his grief, but couldn't help but wonder what was going through the younger’s mind. He never tried to pry too deep, only listening to what Jooheon wanted to confess. 

 

However, Kihyun would later find out just what it was exactly the younger was planning when Wonho and Shownu decided to stop by to visit Jooheon. 

 

“Y-you what?!” both Kihyun and Wonho screamed, staring at Jooheon with wide eyes after his confession. Even Shownu had a surprised look on his face. 

 

However, the look in Jooheon’s eyes didn't waver. “I want to train to become a dragon slayer. I want to find the one that killed my parents and the people from my village and make it pay…” his eyes flashed with a burning passion and suddenly Kihyun was able to understand that glint in Jooheons eyes. 

 

It was determination. 

 

After recovering from their shock, Wonho said, “Ya know, most people, after encountering a dragon, would rather stay away from them. Not chase after them.”

 

Memories of the dragon glaring down at Jooheon flashed in his head. The look of malice in its large eyes would forever haunt Jooheon, and the memory of it made him shudder in fear. “I… I know, but…” he gulps down the fear in his throat and says, “I've already decided.” Jooheon says again firmly. 

 

“A-are you sure, Jooheon?” Kihyun asks, staring at the younger with concern. “Being a dragon slayer is the most dangerous thing a person could do! You might as well be burying your own grave if you go down that path! Are you absolutely sure this is what you want? Do you realize what that entails?”

 

“Of course I do… and I'll be honest, if I could I would never want to meet another dragon again. But…” Jooheon looked down to his knees, gripping his pants tightly in frustration. “I was so powerless, Kihyun, I-” his voice cracked and he felt his emotions building up again. “I couldn't protect my own family, I failed them! I could never live with myself if I just let it end here without gaining their forgiveness, and the only way to do that is to find the dragon that killed not only them but everyone in our village as well… Kihyun, please understand…”

 

Of course the pink haired male understood the feeling of being powerless ; it's the reason he wanted to become a healer, so he could help others. But this? This was a suicide mission. 

 

But from what Kihyun could tell, the younger had already made up his mind. There was no changing it. 

 

Instead of agreeing or disagreeing any further, Kihyun simply remained silent. 

 

Calming down, Jooheon turned to Wonho and Shownu. “I didn't want to admit any of this until you two were here because I wanted to know what the first steps to becoming a dragon slayer were. Please, if you know anything at all, I'd appreciate it.”

 

Shownu hummed in thought, “All I know is that dragon slayers are typically skilled in swordplay and magic.”

 

Jooheon felt his heart drop at the news. “For real?“

 

Kihyun nodded and added, “Most dragon slayers have the ability to mimic dragons in some way and use it against them. Whether it's to breath fire or fly, a dragon slayer needs some sort of magical ability in order to fight.”

 

“But…” Wonho hesitated in his words, “Jooheon, you're magicless , aren't you? At least, I don't feel any magical power from you.”

 

“Yes, I am…” Jooheon said with a pout. “You can tell?“

 

“People born with magical ability can kind of sense it when another persons the same, it's kind of like a sixth sense.” Kihyun explains. 

 

Wonho nods and adds, “My magical ability is very weak and minimal though, so most people can't tell that I'm technically a magician too. Although, I can only use it on myself.” The silver haired man gestures to the eldest, “But Shownu here has no magical ability at all. He's like you in that way.”

 

“Is there any way to gain magical ability?” Jooheon asked with hope. He couldn't let his goal end here so soon after deciding it. 

 

However, Kihyun’s words did exactly that. “No,” he shook his head, “You're either born with magic or you're not.”

 

A heavy silence fills the air and Jooheon feels upset and frustrated with himself all over again. He'd been so determined, ready to start his training as soon as he can and now he was being denied that because of the way he was born. 

 

He'd never hated himself more than he did in that moment. 

 

Not only was he pathetically weak and unable to distract a dragon long enough to let his family escape, doing little to nothing to slow it down, but he was also so easily overpowered by it… 

 

And now he can't even train himself to try to fight back. 

 

Not without the ability to use magic… 

 

“Wait,” Shownu suddenly spoke up and the others turned to him, “What about the story about that one Necromancer, uh, Hyu-…”

 

Kihyun glared at the other, “Don't you dare say that name in this household or I'm never treating your wounds ever again.” he threatened and Jooheon was surprised by the sudden outburst. 

 

“What? What name, what are you talking about?” He asked, looking between the three. 

 

“Oh, you're right! Hyungwon!” Wonho exclaimed before receiving a smack to the back of his head from the shorter male. 

 

“Hyungwon? Who's that?“

 

“A monster! An evil, foul man who doesn't deserve to live in this world,” Kihyun growled, a look of disgust on his face. “He should just die.”

 

Those words surprised the younger, he didn't think he'd ever see the oh-so generous healer, Kihyun, wish death upon someone.. 

 

“Have you never heard Hyungwon’s story?” Shownu asked and Jooheon shook his head. “Basically, he's a Necromancer who was originally born magicless.”

 

“Necromancer?” Jooheon wasn't entirely sure what kind of class of magician that was, he never bothered to learn the different types given that he himself wouldn't be able to become any of them. 

 

“Powerful magicians who are skilled in the art of dark magic. He's kind of like the opposite of Kihyun,” Wonho explained, gesturing to the pink haired male, “Whereas Kihyun, a white magician, heals and brings life to the things around him, Hyungwon, a dark magician, brings nothing but death around him and uses forbidden spells that usually feed off life instead of one's own magical power. When Kihyun or I use our magic, it's draining us and we start to feel tired if we use too much. However, when a Necromancer uses magic, it not only takes from the user but also draws from the life around them, making their magic much more powerful but dangerous. Dark magic is often looked down upon because of this, which is why not many magicians specialize in that field, it's despised by many and even forbidden in some countries. You can literally see flowers wilt around them.”

 

“But he wasn't born a dark mage, right? Does that mean it is possible for me?” Jooheon asked, getting his hopes up but Kihyun quickly shut him down. 

 

“No, it's not! Do not follow in that man's footsteps! The greedy bastard wanted to be a magician, and a dark magician at that, so badly that he had to do horrible things to get it, and he did it with no hesitation…”

 

“What… what did he do?”

 

Fearing that Kihyun would only continue to angrily rant, Wonho stepped in and finished the story. “He made a deal with a dark lord; endless magical power in exchange for the life of every single member of his entire family. Hyungwon was born magic less from a family of very powerful Clerics like Kihyun. They were idolized by the entire kingdom and every member of the family was almost treated like royalty for their raw talent. If you think Kihyun is talented in healing, than these guys were literal gods when it came to it. So when Hyungwon was born without the same abilities, he was treated like the black sheep of the family. People called him a mistake and some even theorized that he wasn't really a child of the Chae family. Living in the shadows of his powerful parents and even growing up to be the older brother of siblings just as powerful, well, you can imagine how damaging it was to him to be considered the magic less runt of the litter. So when a dark lord - who are known to hate white magicians - found someone so desperate to gain power, he offered Hyungwon immense power in dark magic at the cost of his entire family. From his siblings, to his parents, to even his aunts and uncles, anyone with the Chae bloodline would be sacrificed in exchange for his strength.”

 

“S-seriously?”Jooheon asked in shock, fear and disgust setting in as well. He could see why Kihyun hated this Hyungwon so much. Not only were they complete opposites in the field of magic - creating an instant rivalry and hatred between the two sides - but the means by which they became so strong were completely different. How could someone be so cruel as to mercilessly kill their own family like that? 

 

Wonho nodded grimly. “Hyungwon’s mother used to be Kihyun’s teacher actually, and the two were even childhood friends until that happened.”

 

“So you knew this Hyungwon guy?” Jooheon asked, turning to Kihyun. 

 

The pink haired man had disgust written all over his features, “Yes, unfortunately.” he frowned deeply at the memory of that man. “Since his mother was my teacher we saw each other often. Even then, he was an annoying bastard but I never thought he'd do that. Especially since we were still kids ourselves when it happened.” sadness flashed in Kihyun’s eyes, “When I found teacher dead by that monster’s hands, I couldn't believe it at first, but he didn't deny it. In fact, he seemed eager to continue to kill the rest of his family if it meant gaining power. It was like he turned into a completely different person. I haven't seen him since then.”

 

Jooheon instantly decided that he didn't like this Hyungwon guy. He sounded despicable and scary to say the least, and he wouldn't doubt that he'd sacrifice another person if it meant more power. 

 

However, Hyungwon was his only hope of gaining magical power. Any advice he can get from the Necromancer would be much appreciated by Jooheon. Though, if it meant resorting to taking the lives of many, than he'd have to give up on his goal. He'd never want to avenge his family at the cost of others lives. But if there was some other way… 

 

“How do I find him?” Jooheon asked before getting a smack on the back of the head from Kihyun, “Ow!” he rubbed the spot he was hit and looked up at the pink haired man with a pout. 

 

“Do I have to beat the sense into you, Jooheon?” He scolded. In that moment, Kihyun almost reminded the other of his own mother. “That man's a demon himself, you'll only be greeted with a terrible fate if you try to find him.” 

 

“If I find him, I might be able to find a way to gain power for myself! Kihyun, please understand.” Jooheon begged, staring at the other with pleading eyes. 

 

Suddenly Shownu spoke up before either of them could, which surprised all three given that he'd been silent for most of the conversation. “If Jooheon wants to, we have no right to say anything.”

 

“Hyunwoo!” Kihyun scolded, “Don't encourage him!”

 

“Regardless of what we say, he'll try to find Hyungwon when he leaves anyways.” Wonho says before turning to the youngest. “Right, Jooheon?”

 

Jooheon hesitated. Wonho wasn't wrong, he would've set out in search for Hyungwon without their help when Kihyun finally deemed him healthy enough to leave. Though, he'd be lying if he didn't feel a little guilty knowing he'd have done so behind his back like so. 

 

“Right…” he said in a small voice, avoiding Kihyun’s eyes. 

 

“Then we might as well tell you all we know.” Shownu pipes up and Jooheon turns to him with a hopeful smile. 

 

“Please!”

 

Wonho sighs and scratches the back of his head. “First of all, we don't know much, nobody knows much about that man’s whereabouts these days so don't get your hopes up, kid.” Wonho explains but Jooheon just gives him the same eager look. He chuckles before saying, “Shownu and I have never actually met the man, but we have seen him. We caught a glimpse of him in the midst of a battle. Who or what he was fighting, we weren't sure, but he was causing trouble for a village that was near the battleground. I don't know how much you know about Necromancers, but they have the ability to give life to the dead, but only enough to use them as mindless puppets. We were called in to help either protect the village from further harm from these zombie like monsters he brought up or to help evacuate them to a safe place far from where he was. We only got to see him for a few minutes from afar, but even that was enough to give us an idea of just how powerful Hyungwon really is. It's kind of scary actually.” Wonho shudders at the memory. 

 

“We know for sure that Hyungwon moves around a lot, never keeping a home for longer than a few months. But it's generally the same wherever he goes; somewhere secluded and far from civilization, but where he could also be surrounded by life such as forests. He's pretty much a hermit. The last place he was seen was in the forests in the southern part of the country.” Shownu explains and Jooheon swears that that's the most he'd heard him say in a row. 

 

“Alright. South. My first step is to head south.” Jooheon says to himself. “How will I know when I find him?”

 

“For one thing, if you find a house tucked away deep in the forest, it's most likely his. Secondly…” Wonho points to the left side of his face, “One eye is said to have a white pupil instead of black, though I wasn't close enough to tell for sure. Also, he has a rather strange making rooting from said eye down to his cheek, you can't miss that.”

 

“He's said to have been cursed for all eternity when he got his powers, thus the markings on his face, but no one knows for sure if it is a curse or just a rumor.” Shownu adds and Jooheon shudders at the thought. Cursed for that long? Can immortality really be considered a curse? Jooheon didn't really think so, however, he did hear that cursed people encounter nothing but misfortune in their life, so he supposes it works for someone who sacrificed their entire family for power. 

 

“Thank you both so much for this information.” Jooheon bowed his head to the two. First they save his life and now they managed to point him in the right direction to take his first step in his journey. He'd never be able to repay them properly. “And Kihyun,” Jooheon turned to the pink haired man. The healer, who had been quiet for most of the talk about Hyungwon, gave the younger male a look of disapproval, but waited for whatever Jooheon was going to say anyways. “Thank you for everything. I wouldn't have been able to recover this quickly without you.”

 

Kihyun continued to glare at the younger, clearly still not supportive of the fact that he'd be chasing after someone who'd only bring him more harm. However, deep down he knew he couldn't stop Jooheon. They'd only known each other for a few weeks, he had no right to try to stop him… 

 

“Just don't come crying to me when you have a curse inflicted on you from that demon.” Kihyun scoffed, turning away. “And the next time we see each other, I don't want you to be bleeding half to death, you got that!”

 

Jooheon felt relieved to hear those words, despite somehow being scolded at the same time. Kihyuns forgiving him, in a way… Jooheon grinned at the other's back, “It's a promise!”


	2. The First Steps.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making a full recovery, Jooheon finally takes the first steps of his journey!

Jooheon stood in front of the large mirror in Kihyun’s restroom shirtless as he examined his own body with disdain. His body didn't even feel like his anymore and Jooheon felt disgusted at the sight of it. It was like looking at the body of a warrior's - littered with battle scars from head to toe.

Except these weren't exactly scars he'd gotten in combat, but the ones that remained after the dragon attack. A completely one sided fight of a beast far superior to Jooheon.

Deep claw marks down his face to his neck and large burn scars on one arm were the most notable. He had other, tiny scars here and there probably from when he was thrown aside by the dragon, but they were easy to look over and forget about. That's not to say the same about his face and arm, though.

Jooheon traced his fingers over the burn scars on his left arm, nausea setting in. Not only did they look disgusting, but they didn't feel the best either. After much treatment from Kihyun, the burns were finally able to heal over completely, though the scars left as a result from the burns were unappealing to say the least.

  
They left a lumpy texture all throughout Jooheon’s arm down to his hand and were left a pale pink color - a stark contrast from his usual pale skin. What used to be smooth skin was now rough and dry upon contact, and Jooheon himself had a hard time looking at them; he could only imagine how disgusted people must be when looking at his arm.

  
At the very least, these scars were easy to cover up to avoid the looks of horror Jooheon would undoubtedly get. A long sleeve shirt and a glove to cover his hand and done! It's as if the scars never existed (to the rest of the world at least).

  
Though, it wasn't as easy for the scars on his face.

  
Looking into a mirror, Jooheon tried his hardest not to cringe at the four claw marks rooting from his upper left cheek all the way down to his neck. Having been successfully healed over now, they no longer left a dull pain on his face. He could smile and laugh without the sharp stings that came from the wound when it was still in recovery. However, the scars on his cheek were swollen over his face. Grazing his fingers over them, they felt just as lumpy as the burn scars on his arm, if not more so. The scars left a similar shade of pink as the ones on his arms, and looking at them left an unsettling feeling in Jooheon; if the scars on his arm didn't catch anyone's attention, surely the ones on his _face_ would.  
And it's not like those are easy to cover up. Jooheon wasn't about to walk around with a face mask for the rest of his life, even if he felt ashamed by them.

Jooheon’s hand lingered over the claw marks on his face as the word rang in his head. _Shame_.

  
To the rest of the world they were just ugly scars that were hard to look at. A feature on Jooheon’s skin that wasn't at all pretty or natural. But in the end, to them they were just that; scars.

  
To Jooheon, however, these scars were not only the aftermath of a wound, but a constant reminder to the boy of just how _pathetic_ he really is. Every time he'd look in the mirror he'd be reminded of that fateful night when he couldn't do a _damn_ thing to save his family. To save _anyone_. A reminder of just how weak he truly was. He'd be reminded of his family every time he'd see them - his mother's kind smile and warm hugs - and the fact that he'll _never_ be able to see her or anyone else in his family for that matter because of his severe lack of strength. It'd be a reminder that he _failed_ them.

  
Jooheon’s eyes started to tear up at the thought of his lost family. He missed them dearly and wanted nothing more than to see them one last time.

  
Jooheon let out a painful sob and he quickly tried to stop himself from breaking down again - he couldn't become a sobbing mess now, not _today_ of all days.

  
“Jooheon!” Kihyun’s loud voice called from the other side of the door, startling the younger and even making him jump. “How much longer? We're waiting on you!”

  
“R-right! One more minute!” Jooheon called back, wiping the tears out of his eyes. After making sure he didn't look like he just cried he quickly pulled on his shirt, pulling the sleeves down as far as he could as to cover up the burn scars. After looking at himself in the mirror one last time to make sure everything was in order, he rushed to meet the others outside. He quickly grabbed his bag and flung it over his shoulder as he stepped out.

  
“There's our little Honey!” Wonho called, wide smile on his face as he greeted the younger. He was outside with Kihyun and Shownu, the three of them waiting on Jooheon.

  
“Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you guys waiting.” the youngest quickly apologized.  
“Don't worry about it. Are you all ready to go?” Shownu asked.

  
Jooheon nodded at the three, “Yes!” Since the younger didn't have any personal belongings after the attack, there wasn't much to get ready in the first place. The most he had was a bag with an extra set of clothes, some necessary supplies and some food to eat while on the trip (courtesy of Kihyun, of course).

  
Now that every one of Jooheon’s wounds had healed over, Kihyun had finally given him the okay to leave. There was no point in keeping a patient any longer than needed, regardless of how friendly they got with each other. Though, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the cleric would definitely miss the younger’s company (not that he'd ever admit that out loud).

  
With Kihyun’s approval to leave, Jooheon would finally be able to take the first step of his journey. However, despite sounding so sure of himself the first night he'd confessed his plans, he definitely didn't have that confidence now.

  
Jooheon had honestly started dreading the journey ahead of him and started to feel doubtful of himself. What if he couldn't even survive long enough to find Hyungwon? What if he got killed on the way? He'd never fought against anything stronger than the forest wolves that often tried to scavenge for food in his home village. Jooheon didn't know if he could even take on anything stronger than them.

  
Though, he did have a bit more confidence now than he would have before; Shownu had been kind enough to train Jooheon with the sword whenever he had the time and whenever Kihyun allowed for it. Most times, Kihyun would be against it in fear of Jooheon’s burnt arm not being able to rest properly or the wounds opening up again from overexerting himself, but the two were somehow able to convince the overly cautious Cleric. So Jooheon had a little more skill in swordplay under his belt at least thanks to Shownu, who even gave the younger a shiny new, well built sword as a gift. Jooheon was reluctant to accept it at first, but Shownu insisted. Besides, Jooheon himself didn't have anything with him after the attack, it's the least he could do to help aid the youngest in his journey.

  
So maybe the wild forest beasts he'd no doubt encounter weren't too much of a problem anymore with the practice he had with Shownu, but that wasn't his only fear.  
Jooheon had no idea what to expect when (if) he found this Hyungwon. Afterall, Jooheon could only get an idea of him from the stories Wonho and Kihyun told him. Kihyun’s descriptions of the man weren't very helpful, always describing Hyungwon as a monster or demon, going so far as to not even speak his name. Which, to be honest, only scared the younger more and made him expect the worst. If he really is as monstrous as Kihyun says, than Jooheon would rather stay _away_ from the Necromancer if he could. When (if) they did meet, would he try to put a curse on Jooheon? Make his so called army of undead chase Jooheon away? Try to sacrifice his life and sell his body off in an underground black market that only other dark magicians are a part of? Or worse! Use his blood as an ingredient for a concoction only dark magicians could make? And then _use_ Jooheon’s lifeless body as the newest member of his army of undead?

  
Jooheon’s mind flooded with the endless outcomes of this encounter, and none of them ended in his favor.

  
“Jooheon!” Kihyun’s loud voice suddenly brought the younger out of his thoughts for the second time that day, “Come on, we don't have all day you know.” the Cleric nagged pushing the youngest forward.

  
Wonho and Shownu had been kind enough to offer the younger an escort to the outskirts of the forest Hyungwon was said to be in, but that was the farthest they'd be able to go. From that point on, Jooheon would be on his own.

  
Regardless, he was grateful to the two, they'd done so much for him and he wasn't sure how he'd ever be able to repay them for their kindness. “The sooner we leave, the better.” Wonho said as he turned around to get started on the long trek ahead of them, Shownu following behind.

  
Jooheon started to follow behind the two as well before he stopped and quickly turned to Kihyun, surprising the pink haired Cleric. “Kihyun!” he almost shouted before he bowed low to the older and without lifting his head, quickly said, “Thank you so much for everything! For healing my wounds, for letting me stay in your home, for cooking me food every day and letting me help even though sometimes I burnt the food, for letting me use your clothes even though they fit too small sometimes, for… For everything!” if he hadn't had ended his speech there, Kihyun wouldn't have doubted that Jooheon would have continued to ramble off the things he was grateful for and more.

  
Amused, Kihyun chuckled at the younger and placed a comforting hand on his head, “Don't worry about it, kid. Just make sure to visit me when you can. Oh, and also if you do happen to meet that demon spawn, make sure to tell him that I hate his guts and hope he dies.” despite the harsh words said, Kihyun had a sweet smile on his face and it honestly scared the younger, sending a chill running down his spine. He's not sure if _that's_ how he would want to greet the terrifyingly strong Necromancer, but he nodded anyways.

  
Waving good bye to the Cleric, the three started off on their small journey together to the outskirts of the southern forests.

  
***

  
Jooheon could see the tall trees of the forest on the horizon and tried to refrain from groaning in annoyance. The trip went by much faster than Jooheon had expected it to, lasting only a few days on the road.  
The trip was surprisingly fun and relaxing given that he had Wonho and Shownu as his companions, making the trip more enjoyable had he been on his own. Wonho was loud and talkative and always had some sort of story to tell the younger. His smile was contagious and he always managed to pull the younger into some sort of conversation, even when the darkest of thoughts started to cloud Jooheon’s mind, so he was grateful to the other. Shownu, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved in comparison, but didn't make his company any less enjoyable. He'd openly start a conversation with Jooheon every once in awhile and when Wonho was telling one of his many stories, he'd chime in and add to it, giving his perspective on it if he were a part of it.

  
Jooheon was even able to see for himself how skilled both Wonho and Shownu were in battle when they were suddenly attacked by monsters at one point during the trip.

  
He already had an idea of Shownu’s strength from training together, but seeing him fight to kill instead of the light sparring he did with Jooheon was a whole other story. It was like he was watching a whole other person fight, a fierce look in his dark eyes, lips pulled back into a snarl. Shownu wielded a longsword that, by normal means, would have to be held with two hands but Shownu swung it around with one hand as if it were weightless, moving swiftly between the monsters to strike them down.

  
Wonho, on the other hand, seemed like he was having the time of his life while he fought. While Shownu had a serious look on his face, Wonho was a actually _grinning_ the entire time as if getting a thrill out of the fight. Jooheon even got to see the others magic be put to use and seeing it wasn't what he had expected at all. Wonho had explained it as enhancing all of his senses, but it seemed to be more than that. He seemed to be lighter on his feet and was agile in his movements, making it harder than before to follow him. His attacks seemed almost as strong as Shownu’s despite being smaller in size and using a thin rapier as his weapon.

  
With enhanced vision, Wonho’s pupils turned into slits - similar to that of a cat - and was easily able to find an opening on his enemies. He even responded to any subtle movement almost immediately, never allowing the monsters to land a hit.

  
If Jooheon didn't know any better, he would think that Wonho was some kind of monster in sheep's clothing. The excited look in his eyes when he fought, that toothy grin that remained plastered on his face as he took the lives of the monsters - it all screamed features of some thing that took joy in wreaking havoc. Except Wonho did so for the good of others - he was just finding the fun in doing so.

  
In comparison to Jooheon’s amateur-like sword skills, they were _masters_. Jooheon was barely able to take any monsters out himself because both Wonho and Shownu took care of most of them. He almost felt useless next to them, but also felt privileged in the fact that he got to watch such experienced warriors in action.

  
Jooheon decided that one day, he'll be able to stand next to the both of them as their equal in terms of strength.

  
“Wah, we made it!” Wonho exclaims, lifting his arms in the air as they approached the forests.

  
There was a man-made path that seemed almost inviting to travelers, but judging by how much this Hyungwon guy wanted to avoid people, it was not hard to guess that following the path _wouldn't_ help Jooheon in finding him.

  
“Finally…” Jooheon said in a less enthusiastic voice, sarcasm laced in it. He wasn't sure if he was ready to part ways with the two and set off on his own just yet, but he knew it was inevitable - both Wonho and Shownu had their own lives to return to after all.

  
Jooheon felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to see Shownu giving him a reassuring smile, “You'll be fine, I believe in you. Just remember our training, alright?”

  
The younger nodded, “Right.”

  
“And remember!” Wonho suddenly chimed in, “Hyungwon’s like, _really_ scary! Since you're seeking his help, try to not anger him, okay? He'll probably kill you…”

  
Jooheon shuddered at the thought before glaring at the older. They were supposed to be _comforting_ him, not giving him more reasons to fear for his life! “Gee, thanks…” He said, more sarcasm dripping in his tone.

  
“I'm just saying, be careful!” Wonho clarifies, though it still doesn't do much to make the younger feel better.

  
Jooheon let's out a loud sigh and glances between the two, “Thank you both for escorting me this far; it means a lot.”  
“Don't worry about it,” Shownu says with a smile, “Just promise to be careful, and remember, you can always come back to us if you ever need anything, okay? Kihyun wouldn't turn you away either, so go to him for help if you need it.”

  
Jooheon’s lips pulled back into a small, genuine smile, joyous at the fact that he had three wonderful and talented people to support him. Ever since he'd found out about his family’s untimely demise, the three had been so kind to the younger that he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to repay them for all that they've done. It felt nice to know that if all else failed, he did have somewhere to return to and people to welcome him back.

  
With a few more words of encouragement from Wonho and Shownu, they finally parted ways, Jooheon reluctantly entering the forests and the two warriors backtracking to return to the kingdom. Upon their departure, Jooheon immediately felt a sense of loneliness overcome him, feeling lost and empty without the duo.

  
“It's okay, Honey, you got this!” He said aloud to himself in hopes of finding some sort of comfort in the words as he walked down the dirt path.

  
If there were two things Jooheon knew about Hyungwon’s location, is that it was deep in the forest and that it really wouldn't be easy to find. He wasn't sure how deep into the forest he should go, but he assumed walking until sunset was probably the best bet. That'd give him a couple hours, then he'll stray off the path in search of Hyungwon.

  
During his walk, Jooheon found himself looking around at the forest’s scenery. The tall trees seemed to tower above him, it's leaves a variety of different shades of vibrant greens. It was mid-spring, so the entire forest seemed to be in full bloom and he was captivated by the beauty of it all. He could hear birds singing as he walk and he found himself humming along with them as he took in the view. The woods that were near Jooheon’s village were nothing compared to the vast forest. The walk itself was surprisingly relaxing and enjoyable and he almost forgot the loneliness he had felt just moments before entering the forest.

  
That is, until the sun finally did set and he forced himself to stray away from the path.

  
Suddenly everything in the forest didn't seem as beautiful when shrouded in darkness and the birds who he sang a beautiful duet with were no longer chirping. Jooheon was surrounded by an eerie silence, the only noise coming from his footsteps hitting the ground. The trees that were once appealing to his eyes were now intimidating to look up at and he forced himself to keep his eyes forward or on the ground.

  
Jooheon was no longer happily strolling through the forest like he was before the sun had set. Now, Jooheon was hugging himself closely as the chilly air began to nip at his skin, looking around cautiously in fear of something coming out of the darkness. Being unable to see much farther than a few feet even with the lantern Kihyun had given him really put Jooheon on edge, anxiety setting in as he walked.

  
A loud crunch was suddenly heard beneath him, breaking the still silence of the forests. Feeling his heart leaping out of his chest, Jooheon screamed at the noise and jumped away in fear, ready to turn tail and abort mission. A monster?! Some demon ascending from the depths of hell!? One of Hyungwon’s zombie minions!?

  
Jooheon would have been miles away from there already if he didn't take a quick glance at whatever was beneath his feet. He placed a hand over his racing heart, hoping to calm it when he realized that he'd gotten so worked up over stepping on a branch…  
Sighing, he glared down at the now broken branch and cursed its existence for nearly scaring him to death.

  
Not wanting to deal with the anxiety of walking through the forest at night, Jooheon decided that it was probably best to set up camp now to rest. He'd done a lot of walking and his legs needed it (plus, being scared half to death really made him lose all his motives to continue).

  
Setting his lantern on the ground, he placed his bag down and started rummaging through his bag to bring supplies out. The lantern would run out of oil soon so he had to start his own fire if he wanted some sort of source of light.

  
As he did so, a sudden rustling from behind Jooheon interrupted him, making him freeze in place. Fear started to set in again as the noise got louder as if closing in on him. He prayed to any almighty being that he's simply overreacting again and a harmless bunny will jump out of the bushes.

  
Slowly turning around to the source of the noises, he dreaded whatever it was and instinctively placed his hand over the handle of his sword, ready to draw it if needed.

  
_Please be a harmless bunny. Please don't be a man eating monster looking for a late night snack. Please… please…!_

  
Jooheon’s blood ran cold when he finally spotted whatever was hiding in the bushes through the darkness. Making direct eye contact with a four legged beast who had its dark eyes trained him him, Jooheon’s legs froze in place. He didn't dare break eye contact with the beast in fear that any sudden movement would only cause the beast to attack.

  
Slowly, he tightened his grip on the handle of his sword, ready to draw it as the beast slowly crept up to Jooheon. Like a cat, it was crouching, ready to pounce at Jooheon at any given moment. It bared its teeth and Jooheon could hear a very faint growl from the beast, as if still trying to hide its presence from Jooheon before it striked.

  
His heart was racing as he faced the beast and memories of that night he faced the dragon flashed in his mind, causing his breathing to become unbalanced and heavy in terror and he wasn't sure if it was because of the threat in front of him or the trauma from the dragon attack that seemed to make the entire situation harder to face.

  
His mind _screamed_ to draw his sword already and take care of the beast, but his limbs refused. His legs seemed immobilized and he couldn't run even if he wanted to (which he really did). He held on to his sword tightly, but his arms refused to pull it out of its sheathe and he cursed his limbs for betraying him in this desperate moment.  
Suddenly the beast jumped at Jooheon and his legs were finally able to respond, making him jump back just in time to avoid being caught in the beast’s grasp. However, instead of drawing his sword and fighting it like he wanted to, Jooheon quickly turned away from the beast and ran as fast as his legs allowed for.

  
This was _just_ like the night of the attack - a giant monster ready to kill Jooheon, Jooheon having little to no choice but to come face to face with it, and being too fucking _weak_ that he couldn't even do anything about the monster. Jooheon wanted to fight it, wanted to slay it and claim his first victory against a monster bigger than him, but he simply couldn't. Fear had captured his heart as he relived the terror of facing a malicious monster and his first instinct when he was finally able to move was to _run._

  
He was such a _joke._ He couldn't even face this beast, what would make him think he could really take on _dragons?_

  
Now he was running for his life from a monster that was ready to make its lunch out of Jooheon and he genuinely didn't think he'd survive. The monster would no doubt catch up to Jooheon, and then what? Jooheon would fall at the mercy of it because he can't do a damn thing to stop it.

  
_Pathetic._  
  
_Coward._

These words echoed in his head head as he ran, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. Looks like all that Kihyun, Wonho and Shownu had done for him were for nothing. All the effort Kihyun put into his recovery would be a complete waste of his time. Same goes for Shownu’s personal training…

  
_I'm sorry,_ he thought.

  
Jooheon screamed when he suddenly tripped over a vine and fell hard on the ground, the air almost knocked out of his lungs from the impact.

  
_Get up. Get up. Get up!!_ His mind screamed and he tried his hardest to obey but it was too late, the beast was already close behind him. He could hear its heavy footsteps and harsh growling - ready to kill its prey.

  
“ _Die, foul beast_.” An unfamiliar voice called, voice deep as it spoke.

  
Jooheon looked up to the source of the unknown voice and was greeted by a person whose features were greatly hidden by a large robe and hood pulled over his head. His hand was reaching out towards the beast and it seemed to emit a dark glow around it.

  
Actually, his entire body seemed to emit some sort of dark energy that only got intense as the man released some sort of power, throwing the beast back and away from Jooheon and gaining a screech in pain from it.

  
While the attack wasn't directed towards Jooheon, the sickening aura that seemed to linger behind after the attack caused his stomach to churn. Just being in its presence made Jooheon feel ill and he wondered what the hell was happening for him to feel this way.

  
Was this magic?

  
Now that he thought about it, Kihyun would emit a subtle glow around him when he used his magic - a soft, green color would shine around his hands as he did what he had trained for for many years. But this wasn't the same - Kihyun’s magical aura - or whatever it was - was soothing and revitalizing. Kind and inviting.

  
But this? This was foul and repugnant, filled with hatred and darkness. It sent chills down Jooheon’s body and made goosebumps rise over his skin.

  
Another powerful pulse released from the magician's hand. Suddenly, dark tendrils began to form as if from nowhere around the beast, grasping it's legs to stop its movements before wrapping around its neck, slowly crushing it before a disgustingly loud crack was heard, breaking its neck in half.

  
Jooheon watched with horror as the life was taken from the beast all too quickly for him to really process. Jooheon was grateful to be saved from the beast’s clutches but also felt pity for it's harsh death. The magician was merciless in taking its life, doing so without any hesitation.

  
Turning to the mystery magician, Jooheon was still unable to make out any facial features from them thanks to the large hood, but guessing from the powerful dark magic used, he wouldn't doubt if this was the man he'd set out in search for..

  
The magician was facing Jooheon but said nothing, and Jooheon himself found himself unable to say anything to him, still trying to recover from the shock of his second all too familiar near death experience. Before he could say anything though, the man suddenly turned away from Jooheon and began to walk in the opposite direction.

  
Feeling panic tear through him at the thought of losing Hyungwon (if it were him) after finally finding him, Jooheon scrambled to his feet. “W-wait!” He called out, quickly following the man.

  
Stopping in his tracks, the man remained still, not turning to Jooheon and leaving his back to face him. Panting, Jooheon wasn't sure how to address the other or what to say - he never thought about what to say to the other when he finally did find Hyungwon.  
Deciding to settle for an easy question that would clear up all of his doubts, Jooheon asked in a small voice, “A-are you the Necromancer, Hyungwon?”

  
The man visibly stiffened at the question and for a second Jooheon thought that maybe he was mistaking him for some other strong, dark magician. The other turned his head ever so slightly to Jooheon, face still hidden, and said in a deep voice, “If you're here for my head I won't hesitate to _kill_ you now. I'll give you one second to turn around and forget about this bounty hunt of yours and save yourself.”

  
Jooheon’s blood ran cold from the sudden threat and his legs almost listened to the other, almost turning away to leave despite not knowing exactly what he was talking about.

  
“What? N-no! I'm not here for any bounty or whatever! I didn't even know you had a bounty on your head. It makes sense though, you did commit mass murder on an entire family and a family that was known throughout the kingdom so it makes _complete_ sense, I also wouldn't doubt that your bounty would be really high considering all that but I swear I'm not here for that!” Jooheon quickly tried to clarify, though out of fear of the other he found himself rambling off more words than he probably should have said. He realized that he probably offended the other as well and cursed his dumb mouth for not being able to shut itself up.

  
Hyungwon didn't reply immediately, a heavy, tense atmosphere setting in as Jooheon anxiously waited for any kind of response.  
Finally, Hyungwon turned to Jooheon and removed the hood off his head, revealing a face _much_ prettier than Jooheon expected.

  
Now, that wasn't to say Jooheon expected a disgusting two headed animal under that hood, but given by the words used to describe Hyungwon by Kihyun and Wonho - scary powerful, a demon, monster - Jooheon didn't at all expect a pretty boy who's only facial flaws were the strange markings on the left side of his face and bags under his eyes that indicated a severe lack of sleep.  
Hyungwon had light brown hair that seemed like he had just gotten out of bed with. It was messy and strands seemed to stick out in every direction. He had large green eyes and - just as Wonho had said - the pupil in his left eye was unusually white, a stark difference in contrast to the other side of his face. Seeing it almost sent a shiver down Jooheon’s spine - it was abnormal and eerie to look into, causing Jooheon to want to look away from it.

“Then? Why are you here?” Hyungwon prompted, glaring at Jooheon with eyes that just screamed distrust.

Under Hyungwon’s sharp gaze, Jooheon found himself unable to hold eye contact and turned towards the ground. In a quiet and less than confident voice, Jooheon said, “I need your help…”

  
“Help? Let me guess, you want me to kill someone for you? You should reconsider hiring an assassin for that kind of thing, not a magician..”

  
“No! Nothing like that! Please, just listen to what I have to say, and if you really can't help me then I'll leave as soon as you say the words!” Jooheon pleaded, pressing his hands together in a praying motion, “You're the only one who can help me with this, so please!”

  
Hyungwon opened his mouth to reply before another rustling sound was heard from the bushes a few feet away. He turned a sharp eye to the source and the rustling soon stop.

Hearing it as well, Jooheon squeaked in fear instinctively hid behind the dark magician for protection.

  
They waiting for whatever was lurking in the darkness to make its move, but it seemed to have ran off (a smart choice if it wanted to keep its life).

  
Looking back at Jooheon’s fearful state, Hyungwon sighed and said in a low voice. “Come. We shouldn't talk out here,” before turning around to lead the way.

  
“D-does that mean you'll hear me out?” Jooheon asked, quickly following the dark magician. He felt hopeful now and even had a small smile gracing his scarred face.

  
Hyungwon didn't reply, just continued to lead the way through the dark forest, Jooheon closely behind. He didn't exactly say _no_ , so Jooheon couldn't help but feel a little accomplished over the day. His first day on his own he actually _found_ Hyungwon! Grant it, it was because he was too much of a coward to face a man eating monster and almost died before Hyungwon (surprisingly enough) was kind enough to save him from death's clutches. But Jooheon considered it a win nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to finish this up before going to sleep so here it is! It's almost 3 in the morning tho rip ima be so tired tomorrow  
> Anyways, tell me what you think? I'm grateful for any kudos and comments left!


	3. Of Vile Words and Physical Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon escorts Jooheon to his home. Jooheon pleads for help and Hyungwon faints.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really bad and not well written chapter but I swear it's gonna get a lot better ~ I apologize in advance for this

The walk to wherever Hyungwon was leading Jooheon seemed to last much longer in the others mind as anxiety began to set in all over again. Sure, he was walking with a powerful Necromancer by his side that could fend off any other threatening beasts, but what if  _ he  _ was the real threat? What if Hyungwon was just leading him somewhere to take care of Jooheon himself? Or offer Jooheon’s body to his army of undead? 

 

It was the middle of the night, in the middle of a forest far away from any human contact. It was the ideal place to take care of someone - no one would be able to hear Jooheon’s screams from here. 

 

Jooheon’s mind began to race with crazy assumptions all over again, unsure of what to expect from a lone dark magician who was a known murderer. 

 

Okay, so maybe this wasn't Jooheon’s best idea. Maybe seeking out a guy who murdered multiple people - all of which were his flesh and blood, mind you - wasn't the ideal route to take. Sure, Hyungwon would be his best bet in order to gain magical power but was it worth it to spend time with someone who could easily take his life from him? 

 

He didn't know much about Hyungwon - no one did - aside from his story and his family’s history that seemed to be known throughout the kingdom. They're demise was even considered a turn in history since the Chae family name was recognized through generations. According to the history books Kihyun had laying around his house, the Chae family’s power was recognized even during the early days of the kingdom when war raged on for the rights to land. According to the books, they were medics on the field, healing freshly made wounds that would normally take hours to heal even with magic instantly through their own superior ability so that warriors could return to battle. The King at the time even praised them for their efforts. 

 

Since then, every member of the family with the Chae family bloodline would be born with strong magical abilities, specifically those in the art of healing. What took Kihyun two months to tend to Jooheon’s wounds would have taken a Chae mere days to take care of. Some even say that one member of the family managed to bring someone back from the dead, and not in the way Hyungwon is said to do so (although that's just a rumor that wasn't confirmed in any of the history books Jooheon read). 

 

But for whatever reason, Hyungwon wasn't like the rest of his family, despite being the first born in his generation of his family. His mother was an incredible Cleric who worked under the royal family themselves and even lived in the castle as the head of the medical department. When news of her pregnancy was heard of, the entire kingdom seemed to celebrate with joy at the prospect of a new powerful healer being born into the world, only to get a magicless runt with no talent. It was assumed that maybe this generation of Chae’s wouldn't be gifted with their known strength, but that was later found to be untrue when a second son was born into the family with his mother's abilities. 

 

Being raised up with so much pressure on him from the second he's born only to be treated like an animal when he didn't meet those expectations had to have lead Hyungwon to do what he did (that's not to say it was the  _ right  _ thing to do though). Hyungwon probably had so much hatred and darkness in his heart that it's no wonder his magic feels so disgusting to be around - he has years of darkness piled up underneath him that it makes his magic all the more stronger. 

 

Jooheon admit that he felt sorry for Hyungwon, but he felt even more scared of him.. 

 

Despite his concerns, Jooheon deep down knew that Hyungwon would be an important role in his journey if he wanted to be able to get his revenge on the dragon that took the lives of his family. He wasn't planning to back out so soon even if his fears told him otherwise. 

 

Too deep in thought, Jooheon almost fails to notice a small house coming into view - presumably Hyungwon’s home. Shrouded in darkness, it's hard to see the house in detail as they approach, but just being near it gives Jooheon chills. He can only imagine what kind of home a murderous Necromancer lives in. As a kid, his mother would tell him horror stories of witches who'd drag away naughty children and use their body parts as ingredients for potions and other concoctions (needless to say, Jooheon was  _ not  _ one to rebel against his parents as a kid after being told that). Jooheon’s image of a witch’s home - chopped limbs and flasks of blood in underground freezers, eye balls left to preserve in glass bottles, a large cauldron for stirring ingredients together - was the only image he was expecting when entering Hyungwon’s home. 

 

Opening the door to nothing but darkness, the Necromancer flicked his wrist and suddenly the candles that were sitting throughout the room were lit, the sudden source of lights and fires startling Jooheon.

 

To his surprise, the house was  _ normal.  _ A dinner table, kitchen, small furniture here and there, the perfect set-up for a person living on their own. There was even small potted plants of flowers in the room which was odd to Jooheon - he didn't expect Hyungwon to even have a liking to flowers.If there was anything unusual about the place, it was the disturbing number of books Hyungwon had in the shelves against the wall and how untidy the room was kept (well, compared to Kihyun’s place at least which was always kept spotless). Hyungwon had more books than Jooheon had read in his entire life! Most of them were in the shelves but a few were scattered throughout the room, some left open mid page, others with some sort of bookmark sticking out. It wasn't hard to tell what Hyungwon’s hobby was. 

 

“Don't mind the mess,” Hyungwon suddenly said, startling the younger from his trance. “I wasn't exactly expecting someone to cross my barriers today.”

 

“Barriers?” 

 

“A magical field I set around my home. Helps me know when someone’s close by and to get idea of their reasons for coming out here.” He gestured towards Jooheon, “I felt your presence, but I felt no ill will in you, so I thought you were just a traveler passing through the forest.”

 

Jooheon nodded in understanding (or as best as he could understand, he didn't really know anything about magic fields or whatever). “And that monster?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“Did you sense it's presence as well?”

 

Hyungwon nodded, “And I felt a very strong sense of bloodlust from it. That thing was ready to make a meal out of you,” He said as he walked into the kitchen. 

 

Jooheon shuddered at the memory of that beast. “I noticed…” He mutters. 

 

“So? What are you here for then?” Hyungwon asks from the kitchen. He's out of view from where Jooheon was left in the living room, but he can't miss the hint of suspicion in the others voice as he speaks. “For what purpose could you possibly need  _ my  _ help with?” 

 

“It's… its a long story but… the gist of it is that I want to be able to use magic.” Jooheon says. There's a long moment of silence and for a second he thinks that Hyungwon didn't hear him. 

 

It isn't until the other walks out of the kitchen accompanied by a mug of tea and a confused frown on his face does he realize that he was heard. He stared at Jooheon for a long time as if hoping to find some sort of answer to whatever questions he had before finally asking, “Does this long story of yours have something to do with those scars of yours?”

 

Jooheon’s hands instinctively reached up to cover the claw marks that flawed the left side of his face in shame. Looking away from Hyungwon, he could only find it in himself to nod. 

 

“Let me guess, you want revenge on whatever creature did that to you. Is that it?” Before Jooheon could even open his mouth to reply, Hyungwon, with a nasty glare, said, “You're either born with magic or you're not, you shouldn't try to alter your fate for your own selfish desires.”

 

Those words might as well have been daggers sent flying towards Jooheon, the harshness behind them hurting him just the same. He felt crushed by Hyungwon’s words. Selfish? Was what Jooheon setting out to do really considered selfish? 

 

Suddenly, Jooheon felt an overwhelming sense of guilt along with the pain because yeah, he was being selfish. Incredibly so. He wasn't setting out to be a dragon slayer because he didn't want others to experience the same as he did, not because he didn't want other villages to meet the same fate. No. He set out on the journey so he could kill the one who took from him. Nothing more, nothing less. Jooheon was blinded by his own misfortune that he didn't even consider what others have or could go through. He wasn't anything like Kihyun, Wonho, or Shownu, who did what they could for others. 

 

Everything was for Jooheon, and that made him feel  _ disgusted  _ with himself. 

 

“And you?” He suddenly spat out of spite before he could stop himself, intending to inflict the same harm Hyungwon did to him, “What would you call what you did to gain power, huh? Heroic? Chivalrous? I may be doing this for myself, but you're no better than me. In fact, you're  _ worse.  _ The things you did, you did so over  _ envy. _ ” the second the words left his mouth, Jooheon felt guilt and fear at the pit of his stomach. He never intended to insult the Necromancer especially when he so desperately needed his help, yet here he was telling Hyungwon that  _ he's  _ an awful person just because Jooheon’s feelings were a little hurt. On top of that, he remembered Wonho’s advice about not angering Hyungwon lest he wanted to put his life on the line, making the younger regret his words. 

 

He opened his mouth to apologized but was cut off by the sound of glass hitting hardwood floor. Jooheon yelped in surprise and instinctively jumped back. For a second, he thought that Hyungwon threw the cup of tea at his feet for his harsh words (in all honestly, he felt like he would've deserved it). However, when he felt no sharp glass piercing his skin he looked around his feet to find nothing. 

 

Looking up towards the Necromancer, he was surprised to see the mug shattered around Hyungwon’s feet instead, tea spilled around as well. Looking closer, he noticed the other was seemingly in pain; Hyungwon was hunched over with palms pressed against his left eye in pain and groaning quietly. 

 

Concern suddenly taking over Jooheon, he slowly stepped closer to the Necromancer, “H-hey. Are you okay?”

 

With his right eye, Hyungwon glanced at Jooheon as if suddenly remembering his presence before stepping away, “Yes…” he said in a low voice that sounded like it was anything  _ but  _ okay. “Don't worry abo- ah!” Hyungwon suddenly gasped in pain and stumbled back as if some invisible force was assaulting him. Jooheon, unsure of what to do, reached out to the other and put his hands on Hyungwon shoulders before he could lose his balance. The Necromancer started panting and when Jooheon looked at his face, he noticed blood trickling down his nostrils. 

 

Feeling ill at the sight of it, Jooheon panicked and asked, “Hey, hey! What's happening to you?”

 

Hyungwon didn't answer, not that Jooheon blamed him. Whatever was making the Necromancer physically suffer like so wasn't normal. It even seemed like too much to bare. Hyungwon finally removed his hands from his faced and, with hooded eyes stared up at Jooheon as he grit his teeth in pain. 

 

Jooheon’s blood ran cold at the unusual sight of the Necromancer’s left eye; instead of the white sclera it had, it was dyed a pitch black color. His left eye was already disturbing enough to look it, what with the white pupil and all, but with the whites of his eyes suddenly turning black, it felt like he was staring into the eye of a demon. 

 

His eyes fluttered shut and Hyungwon was no longer harshly panting. For a second, Jooheon thinks that the Necromancer finally overcame whatever was afflicting him. However, that was soon proven wrong when Hyungwon’s body went limp and all his weight started to press against Jooheon. Surprised by the sudden weight, Jooheon almost let the Necromancer’s body fall face first to the ground before he got a tighter grip on his body. 

 

“H-hey, are you okay?” Jooheon asked, struggling to hold the both of them up. He slowly eased the both of them on the ground before examining Hyungwon only to find that the other was no longer conscious. Jooheon gently shook the Necromancer in hopes of stirring him awake but got no response from the other. 

 

Panicking, Jooheon’s mind began to race with ridiculous possibilities all over again; was this the result of his harsh words? Was Hyungwon dead? Did Jooheon kill him? 

 

Terror tore through the younger at the thought of committing murder (despite not actually  _ doing  _ anything) and quickly reached for Hyungwon’s hand. Gentle but firm, he pressed his fingers against the other’s wrist in hopes of finding a pulse. 

 

The younger sighed in relief when he found it - albeit faint - and gave himself a moment to calm down. He thought about what happened (minus the crazy assumptions) and frowned in concern. What happened to Hyungwon to make him react like so? What was causing the other so much pain that he actually fainted from it? Did this have something to do with the curse Hyungwon was said to be afflicted with upon gaining power? 

 

Looking down at Hyungwon who was still in his arms, Jooheon noticed that he actually looked gentle in this sleep state, beautiful in fact. Hyungwon had facial features like that of a prince straight out of a fairy tale (minus the strange markings on the left side of his face). Handsome features, seemingly flawless tan skin, tall, big eyes. If Jooheon didn't know any better, he really believed he would have been royalty. 

 

Sighing, he pulled Hyungwon closer to his body and began to lift him up in his arms as best he could. Physically speaking, Jooheon was by no means the strongest, but he'd prefer Hyungwon be moved to a more comfortable place than to be left on the floor. Especially when the floor was covered in hot tea and broken glass. 

 

Standing up with the Necromancer in his arms, he was surprised by how light Hyungwon actually was. Despite being taller than Jooheon, he could tell just by holding him close that he was very thin. He began to wonder if the other ate properly considering his weight, but quickly brushed the thoughts aside. 

 

Jooheon maneuvered his way around the small house, trying to find anything that looked like the ideal place to lay a person unconscious down. Preferably a bed. Since the house was so small and narrow, Jooheon had to be extra careful while carrying Hyungwon as to not accidentally hit his head against a door frame or one of the many bookshelves. Finally, he spotted an open door at the end of a short, narrow hallway. From it, he could see the corner of a bed and quickly made his way for it; Hyungwon’s bedroom, no doubt. 

 

To his surprise, he found a bed much too large for just one person to sleep in and wondered if someone else stayed with him or if he just liked the luxury of a large bed. Putting that thought aside, he placed Hyungwon down on the bed as gently as he could without disturbing him too much. He quickly slid his hands away from underneath the Necromancer’s body and once he was on the bed. Jooheon held his breath for a minute, scared that Hyungwon would stir awake from the movement. He exhaled when Hyungwon stayed put. 

 

Jooheon looked over Hyungwon in his sleep state once again just to make sure he really was okay. After that random fit of pains the other went through, Jooheon couldn't help but worry if the other was  _ really  _ okay. He found himself concerned if all that happened really came to an end or if Hyungwon was continuing to suffer while unconscious. However, he was able to put his worries at ease; Hyungwon’s breathing was even  and his face showed no signs of struggle. 

 

Jooheon sighed in relief; he wasn't sure if he'd be able to deal with someone in pain like that for much longer. He went sure what to do the entire time, he felt useless! He wanted to help, wanted to comfort the either but was in too much shock to know what to do all too suddenly. But it passed now and Hyungwon was sleeping peacefully. 

 

Jooheon went back to where he had been in the living room to clean up the mess Hyungwon had made. Jooheon made sure all the glass was cleared up and the tea was no longer staining the floor before returning to Hyungwon’s room. 

 

With a sigh, he decided it'd be best to try to get some rest while he waited for Hyungwon to wake up. He'll just have to try and ask for his help again afterwards. Jooheon wasn't about to turn around and give up so easily, he'll convince the other somehow… 

  
Kneeling down by Hyungwon’s bed, he laid his head on the bed and watched the other. He felt awkward and silly - this probably seemed creepy, watching someone sleep like so, but he needed to be there when the other woke up. He'll wait there for as long as he needed to. 


	4. Lim Changkyun and Lee Minhyuk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some uninvited guests show up.

Jooheon doesn't manage to get a wink of sleep that night for a number of reasons. One being that he never got fully comfortable enough to rest in the first place, especially when in the Necromancer’s home. He was too antsy, too anxious. His mind started to run wildly with things he should say to Hyungwon when he wakes and how he should approach apologizing to the other. He even had a script memorized of what he should say in hopes of getting on his good side (whether he'd actually remember it all when the time came was not guaranteed, however). And if he wasn't thinking about what to say to Hyungwon, his mind went straight to memories of his family. The times they shared before they died, the peaceful life in their village. The invading thoughts always managed to make Jooheon feel sadly nostalgic.

 

But his running mind wasn't the biggest problem, no. Jooheon knew himself well enough to know that if he could simply get in a comfortable position and relax his body a bit, he'd be able to pass out in a matter of minutes. Sure, maybe not as easily given where he was, but no doubt at some point.

 

The biggest reason was the sudden drop in temperature of the room and the tense, sickening atmosphere that invaded the air. Jooheon failed to notice it at first until he felt a familiar churn of his stomach and began to feel ill all over again. Suddenly, he remembered Hyungwon’s fight with the beast from earlier and the same sensation he felt than as well.

 

Turning to Hyungwon, he wondered if he had woken up without his realization. Maybe he was starting to use magic? Placing a spell on Jooheon? He remembered that the other only emit this kind of dark energy when putting his abilities to use (as far as he knew, at least).

 

However, the Necromancer was still deep in slumber. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly in his sleep, yet his body continued to give off this sickening aura.

 

Sleep magic? Like, sleep walking, but with magic instead? Is that what was happening?

 

Jooheon will never understand how magic works…

 

Jooheon decided to step out of the bedroom to get away from the disgusting aura Hyungwon was giving off. Maybe if he was a little further away from the Necromancer he'd feel a little better. Jooheon wasn't sure if it was whatever aura Hyungwon was giving off or the long day he had, be he was starting to feel even more tired than before. The nauseating feeling was only making it worse. As he got further away, he did notice that it wasn't as strong outside the bedroom, instantly making him feel better. He no longer felt weighed down and sick.

 

Jooheon went into the living room and decided to distract himself with some of the many books Hyungwon had lying around. If he couldn't sleep, the least he could do is entertain himself.

 

Hyungwon had a large variety of books squeezed together in the shelves, each varying in length and width. Some were thin, others ridiculously thick. Jooheon wondered if Hyungwon’s managed to get through _all_ the books he had.

 

Jooheon began to pull out random books, flip through the pages, read, place it back in its spot, then repeat. Some he found interesting, most, not so much.

 

Well, it's not that he didn't find them interesting, he's sure that one of the many books he picked out were great! But Jooheon was just too tired - physically and mentally - to be able to really process what's being said in the books. He tried reading through them, he really did! But the words managed to vanish from his head the second he closed the books, leaving no memory of what was written. He couldn't really blame himself either, he was attacked by a vicious beast just a few hours ago, running away from it tired him out!

 

Sighing, he decided to end this futile attempt of entertainment and look for it elsewhere. Looking around the living room, he noticed the potted plants that were scattered throughout the house were suddenly wilted and lifeless, petals scattered around limping stems. The different flowers around the room - lilies, daffodils, lilacs - were _all_ wilted in their pots. Jooheon furrowed his brows in confusion and stepped towards one of the flowers - a potted yellow lily - to closer inspect it. These flowers, upon first seeing them, seemed to be freshly picked and potted. They're petals were vibrant in color and full of life, only to suddenly be deprived of it. It's petals were now wilted and wrinkled, no longer holding the same bright yellow it had.

 

Jooheon wondered what happened to it - to all the flowers throughout the house. Flowers don't wilt in a matter of minutes, that just didn't happen.

 

Before Jooheon could put more thought into it he suddenly heard a creak behind him. Jumping, he slowly placed the potted lily back on the table and cautiously looked around the room. Suddenly, he felt like he was being watched and it no longer felt like he was alone in the room. It _was_ just Hyungwon and him in this house, right? No one else was here? Maybe Hyungwon woke up?

 

Jooheon squealed in fear when he heard another noise around him and quickly turned towards it. “W-who’s there?!” he called, only to be faced with nothing.

 

Just when Jooheon thought that it might have all been his imagination, he feels the back of his shirt get roughly pulled behind him and pulling all his weight to slam against the wall behind him. He groans in pain from the rough contact, but doesn't have time to properly respond when someone has their arm pressed hard against his chest, keeping him from moving.

 

Jooheon opens his eyes to see an attacker - a boy not much older than he with ash brown hair and very sharp eyes. He had a scarf around his neck and his left arm was distorted from the bicep down. It looked odd, as if _attached_ to his left hand instead of a part of it. It was rounded at the end where his hand a should be and had a large blue orb glowing from where the back of his hand is. Was it a glove? His hand?

 

Suddenly, the other stabbed a knife into the wall right next to Jooheon’s head, making him scream. “Who are you, and what are you doing in Hyungwon’s home?”

 

“I - I'm -..” too overcome with fear for his life, Jooheon struggles to answer.

 

The attacker only pushes the other harder into the wall, eyes narrowing, “Where's Hyungwon now? What have you done to him?”

 

“N-n-nothing!!”

 

“Liar,” the other snarled, pulling the knife out of the wall and pressing it close to Jooheon’s neck, gaining another scream. “If you hurt Hyungwon in any way, I won't hesitate to rip you apart limb by li-”

 

“Kyunnie!!” Suddenly another, unfamiliar voice called from behind them, making this Kyunnie fellow stop all movement. “Kyunnie, where'd you go?” A male with silver hair suddenly walked in, looking around with a confused frown. Finally, he spotted the two and beamed, “There you are! You ran ahead so quickly, I lost you. Who's that?” He peered at Jooheon and an amused smile as if being pinned against a wall with a knife to his throat wasn't questionable.

 

Not tearing his eyes away from Jooheon, the shorter male said, “He was already here when I got here. I think _he's_ the reason for Hyungwon’s distress call.”

 

“Oh? But I don't feel any ill will in him. Just an intense fear for his life, you sure? ” the other stepped closer to the two, examining Jooheon’s features. His eyes lingered on the scars across his cheeks and Jooheon noticed them slightly widen before something else - something Jooheon couldn't name - flash in his eyes. Finally, he looked into Jooheon’s eyes and asked, “Hey, what's your name?”

 

“Huh?” Jooheon squeaked.

 

“Does that matter?” His attacker asked, eyes narrowing. “He'll be dead soon anyway.”

 

“Depending on his name, I don't think that'd be a good idea.” That gained a confused glance from both Jooheon and his attacker. “So?” He prompted.

 

“L-Lee Jooheon…” He said in a small voice.

 

A small, knowing grin spread across the silver haired males face, confusing Jooheon even further. “Ah, I see…”

 

“You know him?”

 

“Hmm… I wouldn't say I know him, just know _of_ him. You're gonna want to let him go, Kyunnie. I'm Lee Minhyuk by the way, it's nice to meet you!” the silver haired male smiled brightly at Jooheon.

 

Knew of Jooheon? How? Jooheon lived in a small village in an average household for him and his family. He wasn't notorious for anything as far as he knew. The only way he could be known to others is as the last survivor of said village after the dragon attack, but even then he didn't think he'd be recognized by name.

 

The attacker reluctantly pulled away from Jooheon, giving him space to breath and relax finally. The other continued to glare at Jooheon with eyes that screamed distrust as he stepped back to stand beside Minhyuk.

 

“Be nice!” Minhyuk nudged the shorter male, “At least introduce yourself.”

 

“I'm Lim Changkyun. Minhyuk here trusts you, but I don't. If I find out you're the reason for Hyungwon’s distress call, I _will_ kill you.” the shortest male growled.

 

Distress call? What call? How did Hyungwon manage to call someone in his sleep state?

 

Minhyuk smacked Changkyun in the back of the head, “Stop that!”

 

“Uh, call?” Jooheon asked, looking between the two. He hoped he could get some sort of explanation, for something, anything. Why these two showed up. Where they came from. What call they seemed to get. Maybe they can explain the strange thing that happened to Hyungwon before passing out.

 

However, Jooheon wasn't able to get any of the answers he was looking for. Both Changkyun and Minhyuk turned to look behind them as if called. Changkyun visibly stiffened before he braced himself for whatever invisible threat there was. Minhyuk did the same, pulling out some odd trinkets from his pocket and readying them in the palm of his hand.

 

Confused, Jooheon followed their gaze and squealed in shock when he noticed a figure at the end of the hall shrouded in darkness. Was there _another_ intruder in the house? How many people were gonna let themselves in uninvited?

 

However, this person was different. He had a menacing air to him that was frightening. Sure, Changkyun was a threat to his life first, but this was different. Whoever was down the hall had the intent to hurt all of them, and he could tell just by looking at them. Jooheon felt sick all over again, only worse. Whereas his stomach just churned before when Hyungwon was using magic, he actually felt like he'd _throw up_ just by looking at this person. Jooheon instinctively stepped back at the sight of the other, every fiber of his body telling him to _run._ Whoever was down the hall had their sights on every life in the room.

 

“Shit, we took too long…” Minhyuk muttered, disappointment in his voice. He turned to Jooheon and smiled apologetically, “You're gonna want to step out for the house for a few minutes. Hyungwon’s most likely gonna attack the weakest link first.”

 

“Hyungwon? _That's_ Hyungwon?” Jooheon looked over the figure again. He was tall and scrawny, sure, but in the darkness it was hard to really find details in his features. Not only that, the sickening aura that seemed to radiate off of Hyungwon was _much_ different. It was dark, gloomy, and Jooheon felt ill when around it, but this? What they were facing was filled with nothing but pure evil.

 

“Yes, unfortunately…” Minhyuk sighed. He opened his mouth to say more but Jooheon didn't get the chance to hear his next words.

 

Suddenly, the supposed Hyungwon is right in front of Jooheon, and now he could see that this _really_ wasn't the Hyungwon he met before.

 

No, this was something different in the body of the person he met before. The marking that rooted from his left eye was distorted and different. Instead of just going down his cheek to his jawline, it spread outwards all over his cheek and even stretching to the right side of his face.

 

Not only that, his eyes were different as well. Jooheon made a mistake earlier when comparing Hyungwon’s eye to that of a demon’s. At the time, it was only his left eye that was similar. This time, _both_ eyes were dyed pitch black and Hyungwons green eyes were now yellow, sending chills down Jooheon’s spine.

 

He was looking into the eyes of a monster.

 

Said monster grabbed Jooheon by the neck and harshly pushed him against the wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He tried to grasp at Hyungwon’s arm and pry him off, but he wouldn't budge.

 

Fingers began to trace over Jooheon’s scarred cheek and he gasped upon contact. Hyungwon’s fingers were ice cold on his skin. Not only that, his touch was _hurting_ Jooheon. Hyungwon was only touching him, but it felt like his skin was burning despite the coldness of his fingertips. Jooheon screamed when Hyungwon suddenly pressed his fingers deeper into his skin making the pain intensify. The longer his fingers lingered, the close to unconsciousness Jooheon felt like he was getting to. He felt like he'd pass out any moment, his will to fight against Hyungwon weakening as well as the edges of his mind began to black out.

 

“Changkyun!” Minhyuk’s voice suddenly called out.

 

The youngest nodded in understanding before holding out his distorted arm towards the two. The large orb on the back of his hand started to shine a bright blue color.

 

Suddenly, strange symbols began to circle around both Jooheon and Hyungwon. Hyungwon seemed to freeze in place, the pain he was inflicting on the younger coming to a halt.

 

It was as if Hyungwon was set on rewind; his fingers pulled away from Jooheon’s face and he no longer felt fatigued from pain. If anything, he felt like his strength was _returning_ to him. Hyungwon’s other hand pulled away from Jooheon’s neck and he gasped for air when he was finally released.

 

Jooheon fell to the floor, unable to stand from the shock of what just happened. He tried to organize his thoughts but struggled to catch his breath.

 

Looking up at Hyungwon, he noticed the strange symbols were now circling only him. There was something odd about the other; he wasn't moving at all. Just by looking at him, Jooheon could tell that he wasn't even _breathing._ It was as if he was frozen in place.

 

Minhyuk stepped in front of Hyungwon and grinned at him. “Please return our friend to us. Thanks.” He said before he held up one of the many trinkets in his hands up to Hyungwon’s forehead. Minhyuk closed his eyes before chanting something under his breath, something Jooheon couldn't understand. The trinket began to glow in his hands before he finally pressed it hard against Hyungwon’s head.

 

The Necromancer’s eyes slid closed and his body seemed to lose strength, falling limp into Minhyuk’s arms. The silver haired male held him up as though he weighed nothing, holding him close and patting Hyungwon’s back. Minhyuk had a sorrowful look in his eyes as he held Hyungwon. “I'm sorry we took so long, my friend.” he gently mumbled, tightening his grip on Hyungwon’s unconscious form.

 

The markings on Hyungwon’s face began to slowly return to normal as well, reverting back to the original marking Jooheon first saw on his face.

***

 

It was the second time that night that Hyungwon’s unconscious form had to be taken to bed, only this time it was by Minhyuk’s hand. After tucking him in, Minhyuk assured the two others that Hyungwon would be fine - they could rest easy for the rest of the night.

 

And Jooheon believed him; Hyungwon’s body was no longer giving off the sick magical aura or whatever he gave off when he was sleeping before. This time, the Necromancer really was just sleeping.

 

Changkyun, however, was less convinced. He stayed by Hyungwon’s side as he slept. He watched Hyungwon sleeping with a concerned look in his sharp eyes, brushing his brown locks out of his face. Jooheon wasn't sure what they're relationship entailed, but he could tell that Changkyun really cared for the Necromancer.

 

After that entire incident, Jooheon felt the need to thank the two for saving him, despite a certain someone being the first threat to Jooheon’s life. He couldn't tell what exactly Hyungwon was doing to him, but he had a strong feeling that if he wasn't stopped, Jooheon wouldn't have lived to see another day.

 

Once again, Jooheon had to be saved by other people.

 

_Pathetic._

 

When he thanked the two, he got an angry glare from Changkyun, “We didn't stop him to save _you.”_

 

“What?” Maybe Jooheon read their act of salvation wrong… He looked between the two for some sort of explanation. If that wasn't considered saving _him_ then what would they call it?

 

“Changkyun, don't be so mean,” Minhyuk scolds the youngest before turning to Jooheon, “It's hard to explain, but Hyungwon is… possessed…”

 

“Stop!” Changkyun growled, interrupting the two. He stood up from his place beside Hyungwon, his hands were balled into fists as he glared down at Minhyuk. There was an intense anger burning in his sharp eyes as he said, “Why are you talking about Hyungwon like this to a complete _stranger_?!” his sharp gaze turned to Jooheon, “You have no right to even be here, let alone learn anything about Hyungwon.”

 

“Oh, come on, Kyunnie! I'm sure Jooheony here has his reasons for being here!” Minhyuk said, hoping to ease the youngest’s tantrum. Changkyun was angry and upset, clearly not happy of Jooheon’s presence in the home of someone close to him.

 

“Then talk, I'd _love_ to know why you were in our friends home while he was asleep.” Changkyun stepped closer to Jooheon threateningly, and despite being shorter than Jooheon, it did manage to intimidate him.

 

“I - I need Hyungwon’s help! I wanted to talk to him…” Jooheon didn't want to say much more than that.

 

“Help?” Changkyun repeated, eyes narrowing, “So that's it. You're just planning to _use_ Hyungwon for your own stupid business. If that's the case, I suggest you leave now.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Did I stutter? Leave. Hyungwon doesn't need to give his services to some stranger who just showed up one night.” Changkyun’s voice began to rise as he spoke, “You don't know _anything_ about him, why should he help you? You're probably no better than the rest of the world who judge him for what he did.” There was an intense anger burning behind his eyes as they glared into Jooheon’s wide eyes, “You have no right to seek his help.”

 

“Changkyun, stop!” Minhyuk suddenly scolded, a serious tone in his voice that startled both of them. Changkyun looked at Minhyuk with eyes of betrayal, of hurt behind them. Minhyuk noticed it and his face softened, guilt etched into his features. The youngest was just trying to protect their friend, he knew that. He understood his reasoning, but this was going too far. In a softer voice, he said, “Stop. Jooheony here doesn't seem like he has any ill will in him, especially not towards Wonnie. He can take care of things himself anyways, you have no right to turn Jooheony away for his sake.”

 

Changkyun pressed his lips together in a tight line, resisting to urge to argue back. In Changkyun’s head, Jooheon was just another person who knew Hyungwon for what he did, not who he was. He was just another person who judged the Necromancer for his actions. He didn't know the whole story, probably didn't bother to truly learn Hyungwon’s side, _so why does he deserve his help?_ These thoughts clouded Changkyun’s mind but knew he couldn't voice them aloud because in the end Minhyuk was right; he shouldn't be speaking in Hyungwon’s place.

 

However, he was too prideful to admit it and instead let out a sigh of irritation before storming out of the room. He was angry and upset and didn't like the idea of Jooheon being there just for whatever selfish reason he had for being here.

 

Minhyuk sighed, eyes remaining where Changkyun stood. “I'm sorry about that. Kyunnie is… overprotective of Wonnie. He saved his life, ya know, so you can imagine why he looks up to Wonnie so much. He's just trying to look out for him, is all, don't hold it against him.” Minhyuk explained, an apologetic smile on his face.

 

Jooheon tried, he really did; Kihyun, Wonho and Shownu all did so much to save his life so Jooheon would do anything for them to return the favor, so he understood. But after his life was threatened and he was told so rudely to leave by someone younger than he was, it was hard not to. Changkyun had a knife to his neck for God's sake!

 

“Anyways,” the sad smile on Minhyuk’s face turned bright and excited all too suddenly as he bounced on his feet, “Knowing Hyungwon, he probably turned you away, huh?”

 

Pouting at the memory of Hyungwon glaring at Jooheon and calling him selfish, the younger could only find it in himself to nod.

 

Minhyuk hummed, “Keep trying. Hyungwon’s not as harsh as he's making himself seem. He's cold and mean now, but trust me, he'll agree to help you if you're kind enough. Don't give up.”

 

It surprised Jooheon that Minhyuk was being so supportive of him. If anything, he half expected him to be like Changkyun and push him away from Hyungwon, not the other way around. As Hyungwon’s friend, shouldn't Minhyuk be weary of Jooheon? Shouldn't he be asking him more questions as to who he is, what he wants with his friend, how he got here? Date of birth, blood type, anything? Minhyuk didn't seem to question any of it like Changkyun did, and it bothered Jooheon a bit.

 

Despite his doubts, he dropped the issue. Jooheon was here for a reason, was here for Hyungwon, and Hyungwon only. If Minhyuk isn't gonna try to stop him and slow him down than all the better for him.

  
Jooheon nodded his head and with a determined smile, said, “I won't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer than I planned and I am sooo sorry for that I just had mad artists block rip  
> Anyways, I draw a LOT for this AU like seriously 15 of my sketch book pages are draws from This AU, and I felt like u guys deserved to see what each character looks like in my head, so here ya go!
> 
> http://crysversus.tumblr.com/post/157855230276/some-draws-from-an-au-im-writing
> 
> These are VERY early concept draws I did from like before I even planned on actually typing the AU up, so they're not the exact anymore but not entirely different.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon finally wakes up and takes the time to hear Jooheon out.

After settling everything, Minhyuk was kind enough to answer any questions Jooheon had (and he had  _ many _ ). The silver haired male properly introduced himself to the other to start things off; Minhyuk described himself as a magician with many talents that belonged to neither that of the dark or light magic. He wasn't like the Necromancer who specialized in dark, forbidden spells, but wasn't like Kihyun who was devoted to the way of light magic either. Minhyuk was in sort of a gray area - well versed on the two different types of magic. Minhyuk explained that it's not common at all for a person to have the ability to specialize in both types - it took a certain type of magician to do so. Jooheon felt like there was much more to Minhyuk than he was letting on, but the other quickly changed the subject to his relationship with the Necromancer. Minhyuk had been a friend of Hyungwon’s for a long time, since he unlocked his abilities to use magic actually. He pretty much took Hyungwon under his wing, helping him to control his power and the… Thing that possessed him.

 

With that subject at hand, Minhyuk continued the conversation from before Changkyun so rudely interrupted, “I won't say much because this is Hyungwon we're talking about; he can tell you everything himself when he's ready. I will tell you, though, that a demon lurks deep within his body.” 

 

Jooheon’s blood ran cold at the prospect that he'd actually be getting help from a  _ demon _ (or at least someone who could potentially be controlled by one). Suddenly, Kihyun’s words to describe the Necromancer wasn't just an attack towards him, but an accurate description. 

 

“Whenever Hyungwon uses too much magic and tires himself out, he gives the demon inside of him the opportunity to gain control.” Minhyuk explained. Jooheon suddenly felt guilt and shame weigh heavily on his chest, knowing that the monster inside Hyungwon was given its golden opportunity when he saved Jooheon from the man eating beast. None of this would have happened if he was able to hold his ground against it… “Hyungwon has a spell placed on himself to activate whenever the demon starts taking control of his body, that's the so called ‘distress call’ Kyunnie and I talked about. It'll alert the both of us, so whenever we get it we come rushing to his side to try and stop it. Things get… ugly when it takes over, so we tried to stop it as quickly as possible.” sadness flashed in Minhyuks eyes as he turned back to Hyungwon’s sleeping form, “I know what Changkyun said was harsh, but he wasn't wrong when he said we didn't save you for  _ you.  _ That thing feeds off life and gets stronger the more it takes in. If that thing managed to take your life earlier, we probably wouldn't have been able to get our Wonnie back…”

 

Jooheon nodded as he let the information sink in. He could only assume that the ‘attack’ from the demon started when Hyungwon was grasping at his left eye. It must have taken over his body when the Necromancer was asleep, the thing that pinned Jooheon against the wall by the neck having full control. This also explained the sudden loss of life all the potted plants were in - they must have had it sucked out of them when the demon began to take control… But a human life compared to that of a plant's life - Jooheon doesn't even want to think about how much strength it would have gained had it succeeded in taking his life. 

 

Minhyuk suddenly took out a small orb from his pocket and held it out to Jooheon, “This is a little magical tool I created to teleport me to Wonnie’s side, Kyunnie has some too and that's how we got here so quickly.” He placed the orb into Jooheon’s hands, “Take it, as a token of our friendship!”

 

“Ah, thank you?” Jooheon said as he examined the orb closely. It was a pale pink color and smooth on the surface. It was lightweight and Jooheon worried that if he dropped it it'd shatter instantly. Jooheon wasn't sure why Minhyuk gave him this odd magical tool, but he accepted it regardless. 

 

“Just shake it around and think of wherever you want to be before throwing it at your feet, and it'll transport you there immediately. Pretty cool, huh?” Minhyuk grinned, a proud look on his face.  

 

The sun was beginning to rise and it was only then that Jooheon realized how exhausted he was; he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since he parted ways with Wonho and Shownu. He had been through so much - what with being attacked by a beast and two humans (one being possessed by a demon) in a single day - that he hadn't even noticed the time fly. He wanted to sleep, wanted to curl up on the floor, close his eyes, and sleep for twenty years after all this. He envied Hyungwon who was sleeping peacefully in that moment - almost wanting to join him. The bed was big enough for two, if not three, it wouldn't be a bad idea…. 

 

As if sensing Jooheon’s jealousy, Hyungwon began to stir awake, startling the two. The Necromancer was grumbling lowly, slowly shuffling under the blanket before he sat up, drowsiness still apparent on his features. He rubbed his eyes to try to get the sleepiness out as he softly whined. “What are you still doing here, old man?” His voice was deep and hoarse, heavy with sleep. 

 

Jooheon frowned in confusion. Old man? No one in the room even looked like they could fit the description, so it only confused Jooheon further when Minhyuk responded, “Making sure you're okay, of course!” Jooheon could only stare at the silver haired male with a deep frown. Minhyuk couldn't be a day older than 25, the only feature on him that could be described as old being his silver hair… 

 

“Well I'm fine, so leave.” Despite the harsh words, Hyungwon’s tone doesn't have any bite to it, still heavy with sleep. He continued to rub at his eyes in the hope of rubbing the sleep out of them. 

 

“Don't be so mean to your master!” Minhyuk scolds as he leans over and ruffles Hyungwon’s hair, gaining an irritated groan. 

 

Hyungwon finally looks up, a slightly annoyed frown on his features before he notices Jooheon’s presence there. For a second, confusion flashes in his eyes before recognition and then finally dread. Jooheon instinctively tenses up, unsure of what was going through the Necromancer’s head. He probably forgot Jooheon was there when he passed out, or maybe half expected Jooheon to leave (anyone in their right mind probably would have after experiencing  _ that _ ). 

 

Hyungwon’s eyes flickered between Minhyuk and Jooheon, as if wondering why the two were in the same room together - not to mention  _ Hyungwon’s  _ room. Minhyuk noticed the sudden tension in Hyungwon and followed his gaze to Jooheon. When he finally caught on, an excited smile grew on his face before he turned back to the Necromancer. “Wonnie, I just remembered I have some errands to run! Have to pick up some things for a new potion I'm making, you know how it is! I'll see you later, Wonnie! Love you, be careful, rest well, and be kind to Honey-bee!” He suddenly said all too quickly as he backed away towards the door, closing it behind him. 

 

The two stared at the door in shock - how could he just leave them like that all too suddenly?! Minhyuk knew that the two needed to be alone at the moment and although Jooheon is grateful for the consideration, he isn't really fond of the idea of it just yet... He couldn't have at least eased onto the topic of helping Jooheon? Lighten up Hyungwon’s mood, introduce him properly and hopefully help him forget about what happened a few hours prior? No. Minhyuk just left Jooheon on his own… 

 

Hyungwon slowly turned to Jooheon, eyeing him carefully. 

 

Jooheon had to say something, anything! Something to ease the tense atmosphere that lingered between the two - however the script Jooheon made for himself for when Hyungwon woke up was suddenly blank from his mind. He struggled to recall any of it - great, the perfect opportunity to ask for help and Jooheon couldn't bring himself to form the words. 

 

Suddenly, Hyungwon stood up from his bed, startling the younger. He walked towards Jooheon slowly as if to show that he meant no harm - not that it helped, Jooheon’s whole body instinctively stiffened the closer he got. 

 

Once he was only about a foot or two away, Hyungwon’s hand slowly reached up to Jooheon’s face. Memories of the other grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the wall flashed in his head, and Jooheon shut his eyes in fear. He braced himself for the worst, only to feel his scarred cheek be gently caressed by the other. 

 

It wasn't the same as before either - it wasn't draining or painful. It was normal. Hyungwon’s hands were still cold like before but weren't pressing into Jooheon’s skin with the intent to harm him. If anything, there was care in the way he pressed his hand gently against his cheek, thumb soothing over his scars as if the lumpy texture didn't bother him at all. 

 

Jooheon finally opened his eyes to look at the other - Hyungwon’s eyes were examining the scars, a fascinated look in them. He stared at them in awe and it was the first time anyone looked at Jooheon that way after the dragon incident. People would always give him looks of either disgust or pity, but this was different.. This was interest and even a bit of excitement flashing in Hyungwon’s large eyes. 

 

“Dragon claw marks.” He finally said in observation, his eyes shifting up to finally meet Jooheon’s, “Not many people survive from an attack like that. What happened to you?”

 

Jooheon stared back at Hyungwon with wide eyes, confusion in his features. Just before the incident of the Necromancer passing out, he didn't even want to hear Jooheon out. It bothered Jooheon. A lot. When Jooheon confirmed that the reason for his being here was related to the scars on his face, Hyungwon turned him away. He told him to leave, that Jooheon was selfish. And now all of a sudden he was curious about them? 

 

Despite that, Jooheon told Hyungwon everything. The dragon incident, the destruction of his village, the death of his family, to even being saved by Wonho and Shownu and healed by a certain Cleric (he wasn't sure if mentioning Kihyun’s name to Hyungwon was a good idea or not, so decided against it). He didn't leave a single detail out as he spoke, despite how hard it was for him to talk about what happened. He had to blink back tears a number of times, not eager to show Hyungwon this side of him. 

 

Hyungwon took in every word said, listening intently. His eyes never broke away from Jooheon, his expression nearly blank as he took in Jooheon’s words. Jooheon almost would have thought the other wasn't listening to him if he wasn't nodding his head every once in awhile in acknowledgement. 

 

“I - I have no right to ask you of anything; we don't even know each other but…” Jooheon’s voice cracked as he spoke, steeling himself to look Hyungwon in the eyes. His will almost faltered as he stared into them, the white pupil in Hyungwon’s left eye still hard to look at directly. He felt what little boldness he had shrink under his gaze, but he had to do this. He couldn't back out now, not when he had the Necromancer so intently listening to him. It's now or never… “If you could help me in any way to be able to use magic, I beg of you to do so, please. You were like me before too, right? I need to know as much as I can so that I can gain the strength to fight back… please. That night I felt so… weak. Useless. I couldn't do a  _ damn  _ thing. I never want to just sit back and watch innocent lives be taken away like that ever again. I'll do anything to be able to use magic and you're the only one who can help me.”

 

Jooheon bowed his head deeply, eyes trained in the ground. He felt himself begin to tremble after his long speech and couldn't hold Hyungwon’s gaze anymore. He was gripped with anxiety, heart pounding and palms sweaty. 

 

This was it; if Hyungwon denied him than all of this would have been for naught. The long travel would have been a wasted effort. And then what would he do? 

 

It all suddenly hit him at once. Yes, Jooheon knew he could be rejected (he kind of  _ expects  _ it considering their nonexistent relation) but he never planned for what he would do so  _ afterwards.  _ Where would he return to? He had no home or family to return to. He didn't have any money to his name, he had no special talents. He didn't even have an ounce of magic to rely on like Wonho and he wasn't a master in swordplay like Shownu. He didn't come up with a plan B, nothing to fall back on it plan A failed him. If he was rejected, Jooheon would be left with no direction to follow. 

 

“You know what I did, don't you?”

 

The sudden question was unexpected, so much so that Jooheon didn't exactly process it right away. He looked up to the Necromancer, eyes slightly widened with surprise. “Huh?” he squeaked. 

 

“What I did to gain the strength I have now. You know about it, don't you?” Hyungwon’s face was nearly unreadable, the only sign of seriousness being the slight furrow of his brows and the tight line his lips were pressed into. He was testing Jooheon… 

 

“Y- Yes..” The younger gulped, nodding his head.

 

“Then why would you seek my help?” 

 

Jooheon hesitated. He knew what Hyungwon meant, could see the unsaid question between his words. It's not like he was asking for his reason for being here - he'd already explained that. He wanted to know why Jooheon was willing to seek help from a murderer… a selfish, power-crazed magician who took the lives of many. He wanted to know why Jooheon was okay with being around him, despite his faults. Someone like Hyungwon should be avoided at all cost, the  _ both  _ knew that, yet here Jooheon was asking for help. 

 

It's not like Jooheon thought there was good in Hyungwon - there was no justice behind his actions. And honestly, Jooheon  _ was  _ genuinely scared for his life just by being around him. 

 

So no, Jooheon didn't pity Hyungwon. Didn't sympathize with him. Didn't think he was just a naive innocent child following the wrong path when the incident occurred. He was wrong and horrible and Jooheon himself knew that doing this was a horrible idea. 

 

“Because at this point, what more do I have to lose?” Jooheon said in a soft voice, defeat dripping in his tone. His gaze turned to the floor as he tried to blink back tears, the words painful to say. “I've already lost my family. My home.  _ Everything.  _ This, hunting down that monster that left me with nothing, is all I have left. I need to do this, otherwise I can never forgive myself. I'll go crazy if I don't even  _ try  _ to do something… You're scary and intimidating and I won't lie, I don't like the idea of getting help from a murderer, but you're the only one who can help me. So I don't care about what you did and I don't care about what you can do so long as you help me. Please.”

 

Jooheon could feel Hyungwon’s eyes on him and he tried his hardest to restrain the sobs stuck in his throat. The younger dared to glance up at the Necromancer, only to find his expression blank, unreadable. He couldn't tell what was going through his head and that only concerned Jooheon. He wasn't sure what to expect from Hyungwon, at best just a flat out rejection and at worst, the destruction of his soul? Hyungwon we still a mystery to Jooheon so he allowed himself to assume even the most ridiculous of thoughts. 

 

“It is by no means an easy task to just  _ become  _ a magician.” Hyungwon began to explain, voice low. There's a dark look in his large eyes that are almost too intimidating to keep contact with, but Jooheon can't find it in himself to look away. “The things I had to do aren't as simple as they seem. It wasn't a simple exchange for power like everyone thinks it is. It's  _ so  _ much more than that. If you're serious about this, about following the path I've sowed than you're going to have to forget about everything you  _ think  _ you know about what I did because the truth of the matter is something entirely different.”

 

Jooheon stared back at Hyungwon with wide eyes as he processed the other’s words. Forget about everything he thought he knew? After being told by a number of people and even reading up on the Chae family incident, he felt shocked that everything he'd been told may not be true. He had read every book that mentioned Hyungwon and even had Kihyun tell him details on it, and now here was the man who turned history itself willing to tell him his side of his story if Jooheon was willing to listen. 

 

“It's a difficult and tiring path and you're going to hate it and wish you never sought me out.” Hyungwon continued, “You'll be pushed so far past your limits that death would seem  _ welcoming.  _ Considering all that, are you still willing to gain the strength you desire?”

 

Of course Jooheon didn't think it'd be a cakewalk - he was fully expecting to be faced with challenges along his way. He didn't know much about magic, but he knew it was by no means easy to control. It took both mental and physical skills to be able to use magic to it's fullest potential and in Jooheon’s state he'd never be able to master it - he was  _ aware  _ of that. But to be trained so hard that he'd want to actually  _ die _ ? How hard was Hyungwon planning to push him? What kind of intense training was he planning to put Jooheon through? 

 

Regardless of his doubts, Jooheon breathlessly said, “Of course…” his hands slowly formed into fists, a sudden wave of determination hitting him. “Of course! I don't care what I have to go through so long as I can kill the dragon that took so much from me. Yes, I'm weak now and I don't have much skills of my own but I'll do  _ anything  _ to be able to fight back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters not well written and I apologize for that. It also took a lot longer bc a lot of things got in the way as u know adult stuff and shit ahh but it's out now and I'll hopefully update soon!   
> From here on out we'll finally be able to see Jooheon and Hyungwon’s relationship build so im excite to write ~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jooheon gets a tiny glimpse of who Hyungwon really is.

Jooheon’s back hits the dirt ground with a loud THUD before the clattering of a sword hitting that same ground beside him comes right after. Panting heavily, he clenched his eyes shut in hopes of regaining his lost breath. His limbs feel heavy and sore and his body is drenched in a disgusting mixture of sweat and dirt. A few feet away, Hyungwon stood staring down at Jooheon with a thin rapier in hand. Despite training Jooheon and doing nearly the same thing as him, there isn't a single thing out of place with him and it frustrated the younger. Jooheon was the embodiment of the word  _ mess  _ whereas Hyungwon still looked the part of a prince. He hasn't even broken a sweat for crying out loud! 

 

“Up.” Hyungwon says, voice demanding. 

 

Jooheon nods despite how much he just wants to lay there. His body is already hitting his limits of how much longer he could continue this so called ‘training’ (in Jooheon’s opinion, it was borderline  _ torture _ ). 

 

After agreeing to help Jooheon out just a week ago, the two quickly fell into a daily routine to train Jooheon’s body. Hyungwon would wake the younger up at the break of dawn and they'd eat breakfast together - Jooheon quickly learned that cooking was  _ not  _ a talent if Hyungwon’s, but it filled him up and that was what mattered. Breakfast together was always awkward and full of silence but as soon as they finished eating they'd begin the day. Hyungwon would immediately start Jooheon off with some warm ups, stretching, jogging, things to get his body moving before they started the  _ real  _ training. 

 

When Jooheon was told he'd be undergoing a number of physical training exercises, he half expected it to be like when he trained under Shownu. 

 

Shownu was kind but stern. He trained Jooheon hard and pushed him to his limits but never past them. He was demanding and didn't let Jooheon play hooky. But he knew when Jooheon couldn't take anymore, let him take breaks between sessions when Jooheon felt like he could no longer continue. They'd rest until Jooheon felt like he could move again and Shownu, if he could sense that the other was still tired, went easy on him. When they sparred, Shownu let Jooheon make most of the moves, blocking all attacks easily. When they were finished, he'd correct Jooheon in his stance, posture,  _ anything  _ wrong to help him before showing him the ideal way of going about it. He was considerate of Jooheon’s physical prowess and didn't push him further than he could manage.

 

Hyungwon was the  _ opposite.  _

 

He was harsh and demanding and didn't give Jooheon time to rest. Just by looking at Hyungwon, Jooheon didn't really think he'd be a skilled swordsman. He was thin and lanky especially when compared to someone like Shownu, but he was just as skilled if not more so. He kept Jooheon on his toes the entire time, it felt almost completely one-sided. He never took his eyes off Jooheon, making sure that there was no slacking in his attacks. He fought back as if they weren't just doing some light sparring. While they fought, Hyungwon would give Jooheon some pointers for him, only to go in for an attack immediately after saying it (Jooheon’s  _ barely  _ managed to block those kind of dirty sneak attacks). 

 

On top of that, Hyungwon was daring enough to continue to push Jooheon way past his limits. In this moment, for example, Jooheon still struggled to even catch his breath and Hyungwon was demanding that they continue. He wanted to say no out of not only exhaustion, but frustration from how harsh Hyungwon was being. 

 

He can't hold it against him, however. He  _ did  _ warn him that he'd be pushed so far that even death would seem welcoming (and at this point it  _ was).  _ So Jooheon didn't complain. Didn't whine or cry. He  _ asked  _ for this. Hyungwon was giving him what he'd sought for. 

 

With a low groan, Jooheon rolled onto his belly and began to lift himself up with his elbows planting into the ground. He looked towards Hyungwon who looked at him with a cold look on his features. It was intimidating and for a second Jooheon wondered if he'd be punished for taking so long to stand up. He wondered if Hyungwon felt even a little guilty for putting Jooheon into this sorry state. 

 

He reached for the hilt of his sword (it felt  _ much  _ heavier when he was so exhausted ) and began to lift himself up to his feet. Still panting, he uses both hands to hold his sword (a one-handed weapon) towards Hyungwon, a silent challenge in his eyes. 

 

“Stand up straight.” Another harsh demand as Hyungwon himself took a fighting stance, holding his sword towards Jooheon. 

 

Before Jooheon could even begin to straighten his posture, the Necromancer charged forward with the tip of his swords aimed for Jooheon’s shoulder. Not having enough time (or energy) to deflect the attack, Jooheon settled with side stepping to avoid the tip of his sword. 

 

“That won't cut it,  _ Jooheony _ ,” Hyungwon said, using the nickname Minhyuk gave him with mockery in his tone, hoping to get a rise out of him. He twisted around to swing his sword at the younger. This time Jooheon managed to hold up his sword in time to block the attack with each hand pressed to each end of his own sword to hold it firmly, keeping Hyungwon’s rapier mere inches from his body. “Fight back.” Hyungwon growled as he pushed all his weight into the sword, weakening Jooheon’s hold on his own sword. 

 

Jooheon opened his mouth to reply, to tell the other that he was just  _ too damn tired _ , but the Necromancer gave him no time. Hyungwon suddenly disappeared from sight, making Jooheon stumble forward from the sudden lack of weight to push against. Jooheon whipped his head left and right in search of the Necromancer, but was greeted with nothing but the stillness of the forest around him. 

 

Anxiety began to set in as Jooheon looked around - this wasn't the first time Hyungwon’s pulled this move. He'd suddenly disappear only to reappear with some dirty sneak attack. He'd always pull them when he thought it was about time to end the session. Whether it was invisibility he was pulling off or simply hiding in the forests’ greenery, Jooheon was unsure. Each fighting session was different, sometimes he'd just appear right back in front of him, sometimes he'd strike down at Jooheon from above, it was always different and Jooheon’s frail heart was not capable of taking the stress that came with Hyungwon’s final attacks. 

 

Where was he? What was he going to pull? When was he going to make his move? 

 

It was all nerve-wracking to Jooheon. 

 

“You're still not trying hard enough, Jooheony.” Hyungwon’s voice came from behind and before Jooheon could react he felt the back of his legs be pushed forward. He fell onto his knees hard, hissing in pain before another hard shove came, this time on his back. Jooheon fell on the ground for the second time this training session, only this time on his stomach. He groaned in pain and tried to get back up before Hyungwon stabbed the tip of his rapier into the ground right next the Jooheon’s face, mere inches from his nose. Jooheon squeaked in horror as his entire body stiffened, not daring to move. 

 

_ Hyungwon really is a demon…  _

 

He heard the Necromancer sigh from above him and he slowly rolled over onto his back, “Jooheon, what did I say yesterday?”

 

“T-to try to  _ feel  _ where you are when you disappear…” Jooheon said in a weak voice as he remember the training session from the night before. Jooheon wasn't sure how he could just  _ feel  _ someone's presence, wasn't sure how to even go about doing it, yet Hyungwon was demanding of it… 

 

“Yes and you're clearly not trying…” Hyungwon pulled the sword out from the ground and stepped away from Jooheon to give him space to stand. “We can stop for today.”

 

“Already?” Jooheon breathed as he looked up at Hyungwon from the ground. The sun was still high in the sky, usually Hyungwon would keep him busy until well after sunset, so why so early? 

 

“I can tell that you're tired. You're reaction times slow and your attacks are weak compared to normal. I had the feeling that you haven't been resting properly and our fighting today proved that. Your late night training sessions aren't a secret from me you know,” Hyungwon sighed. Jooheon felt oddly embarrassed, he didn't mean to hide it but he thought it'd be beneficial for himself to step out at night and do some self training with the sword, but Hyungwon didn't think so…. “I know you want to become stronger, but if you keep pushing yourself like this you're only going to cause yourself more harm than good. Spend the rest of today resting and we'll start again tomorrow morning.”

 

Jooheon was surprised by how considerate Hyungwon was being. He didn't think he'd notice, didn't think it'd matter to the Necromancer given that he'd been pushing Jooheon so far these last few days. But he was right. Jooheon’s body was more than exhausted, a day to just rest sounded blissful to him. 

 

“Come on, let's get you inside,” Hyungwon said, holding his hand out to Jooheon to help him up. The gesture confused the younger and for a second he felt doubtful of it; he was probably going to pull him up only to do some sort of finishing blow on Jooheon and then lecture him on being too gullible! Jooheon wouldn't have been surprised if so, but the look in Hyungwon’s eyes was oddly sincere. Jooheon could even pinpoint concern mixed in his eyes, but maybe he was imagining it, the exhausting getting to his head… 

 

Despite his thoughts, he reached up and weakly gripped the Necromancer’s cold hands before being pulled up to his feet. 

 

Jooheon could tell that Hyungwon was trying to be gentle in picking him up, trying to go easy on the younger as to not make him nauseated. However, the second Jooheon stood upright his legs almost immediately lost their strength underneath him and he felt himself stumble before Hyungwon wrapped his arms around Jooheon to help keep him up. Jooheon hissed at the sudden sharp pain in his knees and he looked down to see the surface of the skin grazed. Blood was slowly seeping out and Jooheon could see dirt mixed into the wound. The sight almost made him lose his strength all over again. 

 

Turning to Hyungwon, he noticed he too was staring down at the injuries with concern, and maybe even a bit of guilt? Jooheon wasn't sure… 

 

“Okay, we  _ really  _ need to get you inside,” Hyungwon said, hand rubbing circles against Jooheon’s back. Jooheon couldn't tell if that was genuine concern in the Necromancer’s voice, but he was too tired and drained to think about it. Had Hyungwon not been there, he surely would have collapsed so Jooheon was grateful regardless. 

 

Somehow, Hyungwon got Jooheon to his home and lays the younger on his own bed, the softness of it feeling blissful underneath his tired body. Hyungwon steps out of the bedroom and Jooheon closes his eyes, ready to pass out despite the open wounds on his knees. His body is exhausted and everything hurts, sleep was beyond welcoming at this point.

 

Jooheon was on the verge of sleeping until he felt something cold and wet be placed on his injured knees. Not only was the sharp pain from the contact frightening, but the sudden sensation almost made his frail heart jump right out of his chest, his whole body jolting from shock. 

 

Suddenly wide awake, he spotted Hyungwon sitting on a stool beside the bed with a wet towel in hands. They stared at each other with wide eyes, Jooheon from surprise and Hyungwon from most likely the same reason. He probably didn't expect Jooheon to respond so strongly, probably thought the younger was fast asleep. 

 

“S-sorry,” Hyungwon finally said, a flustered look on his face, “I just thought I should clean and patch up your wounds now before they get infected…”

 

Jooheon continued to stare back at the Necromancer with large, confused eyes. 

 

“I… I thought you couldn't heal wounds…” Jooheon finally managed to say. 

 

Hyungwon blinked in surprise, completely taken off guard by the assumption. For a moment, Jooheon thought he offended the other and his blood ran cold. 

 

That was so  _ incredibly rude _ . 

 

Jooheon just brought up what Hyungwon was probably most ashamed of. Mentioned the entire reason for Hyungwon’s search for power. Reminded him of  _ why  _ he was so hated from the second he was born. 

 

Jooheon was gonna die… 

 

So it came to a complete shock to hear Hyungwon try to stifle a laugh, turning his head away from the other and even trembling from trying to hard to restrain it.

 

Jooheon felt nothing but confusion. He was… laughing? Was there something amusing about what he said? 

 

Finally Hyungwon stopped trying to restrain his laugh and Jooheon realized that this is the first time he'd seen Hyungwon smile so much… his laugh was loud but cute, a small snort here and there between laughs. 

 

Jooheon decided he like Hyungwon’s laugh. A lot. 

 

“I don't need to know healing magic to patch up a wound, Jooheon,” Hyungwon finally said after calming down a bit. Jooheon noticed that that was the first time the Necromancer addressed him by his real name. No mockery in his tone, no silly nickname, just his name… Jooheon decided he liked the sound of that on Hyungwon’s voice as well…

 

It took a second to process his words, but once he did, Jooheon’s face burned with embarrassment. Hyungwon still had a playful smile on his lips as he spoke, returning to cleaning the wound on Jooheon’s knees. “Tell me if it hurts too much.”

 

Jooheon resisted the urge to hiss in pain when the wet cloth came into contact with the wounds. It stung and his knee almost tried to jerk away from Hyungwon had he not kept it in place. Jooheon watched as Hyungwon put all his focus into cleaning the wound - his playful grin now replaced with lips tightly pressed together and a slight furrow of his brows. It was almost cute how much he was concentrating and not only that, but Jooheon could tell that there was care behind Hyungwon’s touch. Pressing firmly enough to clean out any dirt from the wound but trying to be gentle enough as to not hurt Jooheon. 

 

_ That man is a demon himself, you'll only be greeted with a terrible fate if you try to find him…  _

 

Kihyun’s words suddenly rang in Jooheon’s head and he blinked in surprise. He suddenly felt the urge to pull away from Hyungwon, to clean up his own wound. 

 

For a moment, he'd forgotten who he was training under - this was the murderous dark magician people are horrified of. He was exiled from the kingdom that thought so highly of his family. There were dark stories and rumors of Hyungwon’s monstrous abilities, most of which Jooheon hasn't even witnessed. 

 

But could Hyungwon really be so bad? 

 

Jooheon had spent a week with the Necromancer and has seen none of these demonic tendencies people seem to fear. Yes, Hyungwon was harsh during training, but outside of that? Hyungwon was quiet and distant, but otherwise… normal. When their training sessions were over, they'd eat some dinner to regain their lost strength before going about their own business. Jooheon would often pass out from exhaustion the second he had the chance, but if he managed to stay awake he'd catch a glimpse of how Hyungwon spends his free time. The Necromancer will often read one of the many books in his collections. When he wasn't reading, he was tending to the flowers scattered throughout his home - watering them, putting them them outside for some fresh air and sunlight. 

 

It was… mundane. To put it simply.

 

Jooheon wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't this. 

 

This wasn't the demonic, power-crazed dark magician Kihyun described or the one Jooheon had heard of from Wonho and Shownu. 

 

But it was also much too soon for Jooheon to judge for himself. They'd been together a week and have done nothing but train. Maybe Jooheon simply hasn't had the chance to witness it for himself. 

 

Or maybe Hyungwon isn't as bad as people say… 

 

The memory of Hyungwon pinning him against the wall suddenly flashed in his head and Jooheon had to keep himself from trembling. The way Hyungwon’s cold hands gripped tightly at Jooheon’s neck, the draining sensation he felt… the fear that took hold of Jooheon’s entire body as he stared back into the eyes of a demon… 

 

How could Jooheon let himself forget? 

 

This Hyungwon may be okay, but there was a demon asleep in his body just waiting to take over… 

 

“Alright, done.” Hyungwon’s voice startles Jooheon out of his thoughts. He looks up at the other who is now standing before looking back down at his freshly patched knees. They were bandaged up neatly. “Try not to put pressure on them when you're sleeping and try to not move so much, okay? And no late-night training session, got it?” he said in a stern voice, glaring down at the younger. 

 

Jooheon nods in response before Hyungwon leaves the room with a small, ‘goodnight’. 

 

Jooheon wants to dwell on the issue some more. Wants to think about how this sweet version Hyungwon he got a glimpse of is the same as the one he met a week prior. But Jooheon is mentally and physically exhausted and there's a comfortable bed underneath him and sleep sounds like a wonderful idea. 

  
So he saves his questions for later as he lays back down, pulling the blankets over his body. Before he's pulled into a deep slumber, his last thoughts are of how the blankets smell of Hyungwon; an odd combination of musty, worn books and vanilla. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I'm so sorry I took so long for this I've had a lot happen these last two months ahh. This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer but I decided to separate it into two shorter chapters ~


	7. Who Hyungwon Really Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the daily life of Jooheon and Hyungwon.

__

The relationship between Hyungwon and Jooheon begins to take a different direction after that night. Hyungwon doesn't keep such a large distance between them anymore and Jooheon isn't so intimidated by every action the other does. In the mornings when they eat, Hyungwon will actually start conversations with the other. It's small talk and it's nothing important, but it makes Jooheon happy. Jooheon, in turn, tries to talk to Hyungwon more as well. He asks about the books Hyungwon’s reading; what they're about, if they're any good, if Hyungwon likes them. In turn, Hyungwon asks about Jooheon’s  preferences about a number of things. If he likes reading, what he did for fun when he lived back in his village, things like that. 

At first, they're training sessions, however, do not change as much. Hyungwon still pushes Jooheon hard and for long hours, but that's fine. Although, Jooheon could tell that Hyungwon has been more careful with him. He's been careful in not injuring him like he did with his knees (which are now fully recovered). 

After a couple weeks, however, they do transition into another form of training. They're swordsman ship and body building training is shortened to only a couple hours a day, and the rest is spent on studying. At first, Jooheon didn't understand why he was being sat down to read some books. Hyungwon soon explained that a magician needs to have a strong mind to be able to use spells. It made sense, but Jooheon couldn't help but feel a little frustrated - it felt like he was a school kid all over again. 

When they weren't training or studying, they actually spent some time together. Hyungwon would go run some simple errands like shopping for food and bring Jooheon along. At first, he was wary - where does an exiled Necromancer even go shopping for food? He later found out that there was an entire community of people like Hyungwon (criminals, exiled magicians, misunderstood rogues) that were all in it to help each other out. 

Hyungwon took Jooheon to the edge of the kingdom where there was a secret entrance to an entire underground city of people like that. It was sketchy and a little nerve-wracking to enter, but Jooheon soon found that despite the people it consisted of, this community was a nice and friendly one. In this strange underground society, there were all sorts of things Jooheon had never even seen before like magical weapons and tools that were rare on the surface. But there were also simple things like a shopping district for clothes and food where Hyungwon spent the most time in. 

It felt like a nice break for Jooheon to come to these little errand runs. It felt normal - as normal as it can be when surrounded by people who were outlaws, at least. It was a nice distraction from his intense training and studying, and going out shopping with Hyungwon was nice. Helping him carry his groceries and returning home with them felt so… Domestic. And nice. Jooheon liked it. 

There were some days where Minhyuk would even visit them bearing gifts. They were usually foods for the three of them to enjoy and they'd sit down together and talk - Minhyuk would ask Jooheon of his progress, ask how Hyungwon was treating him, if he was happy and healthy. It was embarrassing to have someone pry like so, but it also made Jooheon feel… Good. Like someone did care about how he was doing. After losing his home and family, that was something he didn't think he'd ever feel again. Then Minhyuk would turn that doting-mother attitude to Hyungwon, asking if he was okay, if he needed anything at all from him. Hyungwon would only reject any and all offers with an embarrassed look on his face, claiming that he wasn't a kid anymore. Despite the banters, Jooheon could tell that the other cared deeply for the Necromancer and the Necromancer cared for Minhyuk just as much. 

But there were also some… Questionable times with Hyungwon that Jooheon sometimes came across. They were strong reminders of what Hyungwon really is - an unnatural being in sheep's clothing. Sometimes, Hyungwon would return home with different plants and herbs and on rare occasions, the bodies of dead animals before taking them into a room to the back that he told Jooheon to stay out of. Jooheon wasn't sure what the room was for or what Hyungwon did with the plants and animals, but he was too scared to question it. Hours later, Hyungwon would emerge from the sketchy room with bottles of odd concoctions Jooheon had never seen. Potions? Was the dead animal and plants used as ingredients? Jooheon didn't want to know. These actions reminded Jooheon if the stories his mother would tell him of the Witches that haunted the woods around their village. 

There were other times, and they weren't often at all, but there'd be days where the Necromancer would simply… Disappear. He wouldn't be found anywhere in his own house or even around in the woods. The first time it happened, Jooheon was both confused and worried. 

Confused because Hyungwon had given no warning of his disappearance. Every morning at the break of dawn the Necromancer would wake Jooheon up to begin the day, so when the younger woke up on his own he was confused to say to least. At first, he welcomed the extra time for sleep, but he soon began to grow worried the longer the day went by. He got out of bed to investigate only to find that he was alone. 

Hyungwon had just  _ left.  _ He didn't even have the decency to say he'd be leaving like he would when he had his on errands to run. 

Jooheon's mind was flooded with questions of his whereabouts. He was worried for where he'd even gone, if he was okay. Was he just out and about doing his own business, or was the Necromancer in danger? Was Hyungwon kidnapped? Magician-napped? Was that a thing? 

His brain didn't let up the entire day and he even went to bed with the same, worried thoughts. Needless to say, he didn't get proper rest. 

So when Hyungwon  _ did  _ wake him up the next morning and acted as if he didn't just disappear for the entire day before, Jooheon was a little frustrated to say the least. He wanted to ask where he was, what he did in the time he was gone, why he hadn't offered to let Jooheon tag along like he usually did. 

Was it something he couldn't know about? Something he didn't want to tell Jooheon? 

Whatever it was, the action made Jooheon feel oddly hurt and he couldn't fathom why. It doesn't happen often - Hyungwon disappearing without a word - but on the rare occasions that it did in the few months they've been together, Jooheon grows worried and scared and wonders why Hyungwon won't tell him about these things. But then he returns as if nothing happened and they simply fall back to their usual training sessions. 

One night, while Jooheon is studying (more like staring at the pages and attempting to process), he hears the sharp sound of glass shattering against hard wood for the second time since visiting the Necromancer. He jumps and even yelps a bit, looking around in horror before he realizes that the sound came from the sketchy room Hyungwon spends his time in. 

“Hy-Hyungwon?” Jooheon calls warily as he stands, slowly making his way to the source of the sound. At first, Jooheon wasn't sure if he should even go into the room. This was the room Hyungwon told Jooheon to stay out of, the room Hyungwon spends the most time in when not training Jooheon. Hyungwon didn't strictly enforce the rule of never entering but he made it clear that it wasn't a room Jooheon would  _ want  _ to be in. 

So he's been steering clear of it for as long as he could, but the sound of glass shattering emerging from the room was concerning to say the least. He was worried and scared and got no response from the other when he called his name. Jooheon called for his name again only to gain silence in response. 

He waited by the door for some sort of response -  _ anything  _ \- that'd tell him that Hyungwon was okay, but was only greeted with a faint whine. The Necromancer’s voice was low and hard to hear, but Jooheon soon picked up on the pained sounds the other was eliciting. 

The sound of the pained cries drove Jooheon to throw away all reason and barge into the room. Once inside, the first thing he noticed was the shattered glass that littered the floor. There was an odd liquid spilled on the floor as well that slowly spread across the floor. Looking around the room, Jooheon noticed that it was similar to that of the kitchen - there was a large cauldron to stir things in, items to crush herbs with. Jooheon could only assume that this entire room was dedicated to making positions and other concoctions in. 

Looking around, he spots Hyungwon curled up in the corner of the odd kitchen-like-rolm, hands clawing at his left eye. Whines of pain could be heard from the Necromancer as he trembled in pain. 

Panic tore through Jooheon as he watched in fear. Hyungwon was suffering again, what should he do? What did Minhyuk do the first night this happened? Should he contact him? How can he get a hold of him? 

Kneeling down beside the Necromancer, Jooheon held his shoulders and looked at him with wide, concerned eyes, “Hyungwon, are you okay?” 

_ Of course he's not.  _

This is exactly like the first night they'd met, and Jooheon  _ still  _ didn't know how to help the Necromancer. He'd pushed the facts of Hyungwon curse away into the corner of his mind, almost forgetting that the other would have a literal demon trying to take control of his body. What did Minhyuk do that night to stop it? Could he even begin to try what he did? Did it take magical power? If so, than Jooheon had no hope…

_ Useless. _

_ Pathetic.  _

_ Can't even help the person who's done so much for you.  _

“You're still here?” Jooheon heard behind him, irritation dripping in the voice. He whipped his head around to see Changkyun glaring down at him. Jooheon hadn't seen Changkyun since the first night of his arrival, he had almost forgotten who he even was. Unlike Minhyuk who visited often, this was the first time Jooheon sees him in Hyungwon’s home. 

Jooheon suddenly felt hopeful, so much so that he didn't even question how the other got in. He wasn't even annoyed of the fact that the person who threatened his life  _ twice  _ was here. Changkyun was here that first night this happened too, he can help! “It's Hyungwon! He needs help, please!”

Changkyun glances at the Necromancer before nodding and stepping forward, “Move,” he said harshly before he knelt down and took Hyungwon into his own arms. He repositioned the Necromancer so that he was laying on Changkyun’s lap. “Hold his hands away from his face,” the youngest ordered and without thinking Jooheon did as told, taking hold of Hyungwon’s cold hands. They were clawing at his own face and Hyungwon was fighting Jooheon’s grip, making Jooheon struggle to hold them away. When they were held down, Changkyun lifted his distorted arm and with it placed it over Hyungwon’s marked cheek and left eye where the pain was rooting from. Jooheon watched in awe as the large orb on the back of Changkyun’s hand started to glow a faint green. It reminded him of the way Kihyun’s hands began to faintly shine when he was using his healing magic. He pressed the palm of his hand onto Hyungwon’s cheek, firm but gentle. At first, Hyungwon hissed and whined in pain, almost jerking away from the two of them before he started to relax into Changkyun’s touch. He even stopped fighting Jooheon’s hold before he finally lulled to sleep from whatever Changkyun was doing. 

Changkyun let out an exasperated sigh when the faint glowing stopped, body going limp from presumably exhaustion. From what, though, Jooheon didn't quite understand. 

“Let's move him to his bed,” Changkyun finally suggested, looking down at the Necromancer peacefully resting on his lap. 

“The demon… Thing, isn't going to take over like last time, is it?” Jooheon asked in slight fear, glancing down at Hyungwon then Changkyun. 

The youngest shook his head, “Not this time. I got here as soon as I could to stop it, so he should be fine.” Changkyun readjusted himself so he could pick up Hyungwon in his arms as if he weighed nothing. He carried the Necromancer to his room before carefully laying him down and pulling a blanket over him. 

“I doubt you've noticed, but Hyungwon doesn't sleep often,” Changkyun began, a sad look in his sharp eyes, “He fears that the demon will take over when he does so he tries to stay awake as much as he can to prevent that. Although sometimes, like today, it has the opposite effect. His body was too weak from the exhaustion and it tried to take control. Had I not been near by, he would've been possessed…”

Jooheon gulped in fear at the thought of that thing attacking him again. And now that Jooheon thought about it, Hyungwon rarely does sleep. He never thought about it before, thought the bags under the Necromancer’s eyes were just a small sign of sleepiness, not exhaustion from  _ days  _ of lacking sleep. When Jooheon went into his borrowed room to sleep, he'd assumed Hyungwon went to his own to sleep as well. And to not rest when he's been training Jooheon so hard? Hyungwon was pushing himself too far, and Jooheon didn't even notice anything… 

“What could I do to help him? If you didn't show up, I don't know what I would've done. Please, I want to be able to help him when I can,” Jooheon glanced at Hyungwon’s resting form and felt his heart weigh down on him. He couldn't do anything to help the other, despite his cries of pain. He wants to be able to stop that  _ thing  _ that's hurting Hyungwon. He wants to help him. 

Changkyun stared at Jooheon as if trying to figure out if he was sincere or not. It was obvious to Jooheon that Changkyun did not trust him. The reason for it, however, was not clear. Jooheon hadn't done anything to misplace that trust. Grant it, finding a stranger in a dear friend’s home is a little suspicious, but Jooheon was sure to clear things up. To let it be known by both Changkyun and Minhyuk that he meant no harm to Hyungwon. And now, all he wanted to know was how he could help Hyungwon in his time of need. 

“Please,” Jooheon tried again, “I know you don't like me. I know I've done nothing to gain your trust, but I really want to help Hyungwon. I can't stand sitting idle while he's suffering like this. I can't stand just  _ waiting  _ for you or Minhyuk to arrive. I want to be able to help him, so please…”

There was an unbearable silence. For a moment, Jooheon assumed Changkyun wouldn't reply at all, wouldn't give him his trust in taking care of Hyungwon. 

“Hyungwon saved my life,” Changkyun suddenly said, breaking the silence. He wasn't looking at Jooheon, instead looking down at the aforementioned Necromancer, but Jooheon could tell that there was a sad look on his face. Changkyun lifted his distorted left arm for Jooheon to see before gripping it with his other hand. At first, Jooheon didn't quite understand what Changkyun was doing to his own arm, until the misshapen part of it was pulled off of his torso. The shock of seeing his arm being pulled off of his own body made Jooheon jump back in horror. 

“Y-your arm!?” Jooheon yelled, pointing at Changkyun’s now missing left arm that was being held by his other hand. An ugly scar could be seen where his left arm was cut off and stitched together. It reminded Jooheon of the scars on his face, only larger. 

Changkyun tried to suppress the smile of amusement on his face. The reaction from Jooheon was expected, but still  _ priceless. “ _ Relax. It's fake, similar to that of a prosthetic arm you see some people use.” He explained. “I've lived the life of a thief my entire life,” Changkyun continued, staring down at the removable ‘arm’ in his hand. “I'd steal from the wealthy and kill those who got in my way in order to survive. I was a criminal feared by many in the kingdom, until one day , I was caught for my crimes. As punishment, I had my left arm cut off before I was thrown into the streets to bleed out to death. Hyungwon had found me that night and patched me right up. For what reason, I wasn't sure. He claimed to see some good in me, that I had a purpose in life. I didn't believe him at the time. I had accepted my fate and was ready to die the death a lowly thief such as myself deserved. But he still saved me and even gave me a reason to live again.” 

Carefully, he placed the fake arm back against his body, seeming to slide right back into place, before he began to move it around as his own arm again. “Hyungwon took me in when I was in my darkest time and gave me the opportunity to change who I was.” he held that distorted arm out from Jooheon to see, “This is a magical tool he helped find for me. It's extremely powerful and is capable of things you can't even imagine. Without it, I'd be nothing but an armless thief six feet underground. The old me would have used this for my own gain, to kill others, but not anymore. Hyungwon saved my life and pointed me in the right direction. I owe him everything. But after I saw how to rest of the world treated Hyungwon, with such hate and malice towards him, I became hateful towards them in his place. He takes it and accepts it, but I don't. I want to protect Hyungwon with everything I have.” Changkyun’s sharp eyes turned to stare right into Jooheon’s eyes, “Jooheon, I don't trust you at all. To me, you're just like the rest of the world and I wish you'd leave Hyungwon alone. But I can tell that you're determined, so I won't push you away from Hyungwon any longer.”

Hearing Changkyun’s story left Jooheon unusually winded - it was a lot to take in and was fascinating yet hard to hear. He had no idea what kind of person Changkyun was or used to be and he didn't expect to hear it all from him like this. It give Jooheon a whole new perspective on Hyungwon; a power-crazed demon wouldn't just  _ help  _ someone out of the goodness of their hearts. 

Hyungwon wasn't at all like Kihyun and the others made him out to be - like the world seems to think he is, and that was starting to become clear. The more time he spent with him, and now this… Changkyun wants everyone to see Hyungwon for who he really is, not for what he has sleeping in him. Not for what he'd done. And Jooheon was starting to understand why. 

Changkyun began to step out of the room, gesturing for Jooheon to follow. “Before I mastered the magical tool that is my arm, I had no idea how to help Hyungwon either. I had to sit around and wait until Minhyuk showed up and that was… Frustrating. I can only assume you feel that way now.” Jooheon quickly nodded in confirmation. “I asked Minhyuk to make me  _ something  _ to help Hyungwon. At the time, I didn't care what it was so long as I can ease Hyungwon’s pain.” Changkyun reached for the bag that was slung over his shoulder and took out a small, clear container. Inside, Jooheon could see a couple of rather large, pink capsules. “Hyungwon doesn't know of these, and you can't tell him about them. He wouldn't approve of these at all.” Changkyun opened the container and pulled one out, showing it to Jooheon. “They're magic inducing pills. They're only temporary and are only strong enough to produce a weak healing spell. It's enough to ease Hyungwon into a peaceful sleep and to weaken that demon’s strength. They've only failed me once when Hyungwon had overdone it in a battle. He'd used up so much power that he rendered himself nearly lifeless while simultaneously giving the demon enough strength to take over without a fight.” 

Changkyun placed the capsule bag into the bottle before placing it into Jooheon’s hands, “Carry them on your person at all times, please. I know I probably have no right to ask anything of you, but please watch over Hyungwon.”

“Of course,” Jooheon said with a firm nod before blinking in surprise. He was shocked by his own readiness to answer, to agree in aiding the Necromancer. Yes, he wanted to help the other, but he didn't expect himself so eager to do so. 

Has he begun to really care for Hyungwon? 

No, no he can't. He  _ shouldn't. _

A cursed, murderous Necromancer was the last person Jooheon should develop any sort of care for.  

No, he was eager to help because Hyungwon was the only person who could help him. He couldn't afford to lose such an important asset to his goal. 

Yes. That was it. It  _ had to be it.  _

Jooheon had to keep telling himself  _ that _ . 

_  
“Thank you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally out! There was supposed to be a lot more but decided to make the other half into another chapter so be ready! 
> 
> Also, in regards to Changkyun, he still lives the life of a thief but does so for others. Takes from the greedy wealthy and gives it to the poor and needy. He's a good kinda thief now! After stealing and killing his whole life, it was hard to completely change so he put those skill into helping others instead of himself. And he doesn't ruthlessly kill anymore either! Unless he absolutely has to at least, he wouldn't want to disappoint Hyungwon. 
> 
> Ps: I'm going to the Monsta x concert in LA on July 23rd if any of yall are going!!


	8. Chapter 8

After receiving the magic-inducing pills from Changkyun, Jooheon is sure to carry that, along with the odd teleportation orb thing Minhyuk gave him the first night they'd met, on his person at all times. Before Changkyun leaves that night, he makes Jooheon swear that he'd only use the pills to help Hyungwon, nothing more, nothing less. Jooheon agrees without needing to be told twice. 

 

Hyungwon, who is usually an early riser (though, now that Jooheon thought about it, it was more like he had never been asleep to begin with), ends up sleeping until well after noon the next day. Jooheon, in turn, ends up making breakfast for them and waits for the other before their day begins. When Hyungwon does wake up, he quickly asks if Jooheon is okay. 

 

“I didn't… Harm you in any way… Did I?” he asks with caution, concern dripping in his usual monotone voice. It makes Jooheon’s heart swell with joy that the other would be so worried for his well being. He assured the Necromancer that he was fine, that Changkyun had came to his aid before anything could really occur. Hyungwon is relieved that no harm came to the younger.

 

They easily fall back into their usual training, swordplay in the day, studying at night. Nothing changes for quite sometime except for the fact that Hyungwon finally let's Jooheon enter the room he makes things in. It was only used to make potions or concoction and other things for spells in. He shows him around, what each little trinket is for and what they do. Jooheon’s fascinated by it all and it reminds him of what Kihyun did when making ointments and other medicines for some of his clients. He wonders if it's the same. 

 

Hyungwon informs him of what each ingredient can do. How to properly crush herbs to use them as ingredients. He warns Jooheon that some of the things inside could be extremely harmful to him, so to proceed with caution. It's one of the reasons Hyungwon didn't allow him to enter in the first place; he was worried the younger would somehow poison himself if he were to mess with any of the things inside. 

 

With the introduction of the secret room, Jooheon begins to help Hyungwon make some of the potions and other concoctions. He felt similar to that of an apprentice (all things considered, that  _ was  _ what he was to Hyungwon), grabbing certain things for Hyungwon when asked, looking into books for the recipe for certain potions needed. The only thing Jooheon was reluctant to help with was when it came to the carcass of animals. He simply couldn't stomach the stench of their blood and he wondered how Hyungwon could. Jooheon couldn't imagine what kind of potions would need the blood of animals in them and preferred to not find out. 

 

The days seem to fly by afterwords, the two getting closer by the day. Months pass and Jooheon only finds himself in a situation to use the magic-inducing pills once after Changkyun gave them to him. It was the same situation as before, Hyungwon suffering with pain rooting from his left eye, immobile from the pain. Jooheon panicked before using the pills, and the odd sensation of the magic immediately activating in his body was overwhelming. It wasn't strong - Changkyun told him it wouldn't be - but it left Jooheon stunned by it. He could literally  _ feel  _ the magic coursing through his body. Is this what having magical power felt like? Soon getting over his shock, he went to Hyungwon’s aid. He didn't understand what to do at first or how to go about helping the Necromancer - it's not like Changkyun left him some sort of manual with the pills. The best Jooheon could do was to will the temporary magic to ease Hyungwon’s pain, as strange as that sounded. He didn't fully understand it himself, but when he felt Hyungwon relax in his arms and slowly lull to sleep, he knew it worked. 

 

One night, when they're training and studies have come to an end and they're simply sitting in Hyungwon’s home, enjoying each other's company, Jooheon asks the Necromancer if he thinks he's ready to learn magic. Or if he can take the first step to becoming a magician. 

 

“It's been six long months now,” Jooheon says, looking down at his calloused hands. Months of daily training with the sword left a rough texture on them. His left arm - which still held the burn scars from when he was attacked - didn't seem so bad now. He didn't have trouble looking at them anymore. His thoughts didn't immediately jump to his now deceased family upon seeing them. He wondered if this was progress. “I think I'm ready to start learning magic.” He looks directly into Hyungwon’s eyes, a determined look in them. 

 

Hyungwon’s thick lips seems to twitch, as if trying to repress a smirk of amusement. It frustrated Jooheon. “You think you're ready?”

 

“Yes.” Jooheon says with no hesitation. 

 

Hyungwon acknowledges Jooheon’s determined face for a good minute before he finally chuckles. He's stopped suppressing the smile and let's his amusement show. The grin both frustrates Jooheon - a clear sign that Hyungwon didn't take him seriously - and made his stomach twist at just how pretty his smile was. Hyungwon rarely smiles - he always had such a stoic expression on his face. The few times that he does, however, Jooheon feels privileged to be able to see it. He likes Hyungwon’s smile and wishes he would do so more freely. 

 

“Okay,” Hyungwon stands up and walks over to one of the many bookshelves in his home. He easily reaches up to the top of the shelf, pulling out a thin, navy blue book. Upon closer inspection, Jooheon could see gold engraving on it and a thin, red string sticking out from the middle of the pages. He walks back to stand behind Jooheon, placing the book in front of him and opening the book to where it was marked. He leans over his back, face right by Jooheon’s to show him the contents of the book. The sudden and close proximity made Jooheon stiffen and he hoped Hyungwon wouldn't notice. 

 

“I like to read up on the different temples scattered throughout the world and the magical treasures they hold within them. It's a bit of a hobby of mine.” He points at the open book, and Jooheon has to force himself to focus on the contents of it and not the close proximity between him and the Necromancer. It showed a detailed drawing of some ruins that seemed worn down by the years. “This is one of the places where we will be going. Deep inside lies a magical weapon created specifically to kill dragons.”

 

“Then let's g-”

 

“However,” Hyungwon quickly cut him off, “It is infested with monsters. Some were put there as guardians of the temple to protect the magical weapon from measly thieves. Others have simply taken refuge in the temple, making it their home. This form of magic isn't the same as mine. The magic is within the magical tool that is shared with the wielder. In order to obtain it, you must defeat the monster that guards it.” Hyungwon glanced at Jooheon, a knowing grin spreading at the sight of his paled skin. 

 

Monsters? The last time Jooheon had dealt with a monster is the night he'd been attacked while searching for Hyungwon’s home. And now that he'd thought about it, he'd never killed a monster before. Even with help from Hyungwon, Jooheon did not think he was skilled enough to take on monsters, despite their training. Sparring with a swordsman was a completely different experience from fighting a wild beast, and Jooheon knew it. 

 

“Still think you're ready to take your first step into learning magic?” 

 

Jooheon quickly shakes his head, gaining a soft chuckle from the Necromancer who finally pulls away from him. He walks to the other side of the table across from Jooheon and sits down.

 

“I was gonna wait another month or two of training, but since you're so eager I think now would be as good a time as any.” Jooheon looks up at Hyungwon curiously. “I have a friend who's house sitting for me in my home by the mountain ranges north of the kingdom. She's a powerful witch who specializes in taming and summoning monsters and demons. Since you're gonna need training in fighting monsters and fighting wild beasts could be a bit too dangerous, I thought we could pay her a visit. What do you say?”

 

Jooheon quickly nodded, “Yes, please!”

 

Hyungwon softly smiles in response, “Then it's settled, we'll got first thing in the morning.”

 

***

 

The next morning, Hyungwon tells Jooheon to prepare any and all belongings for their trip. Since this was one of Hyungwon’s homes that they'd be visiting, he thought it'd be a good time to change living locations anyway. He'd been staying in the forest for Jooheon’s sake for much longer than he normally would. 

 

Jooheon didn't have much to take with him, so he packed all his things in a matter of minutes. Hyungwon took only a few things as well. Actually, he took with him even less things than Jooheon had. 

 

“I have five houses in total, each with their own set of furniture and living necessities already inside. Clothes, books, cooking utensils. There's not much to take with me when I already have the things I need there.” Hyungwon explained.

 

The one thing Jooheon did notice, however, was the thin book that had the information of the temple they'd be visiting. Along with that, some ingredients for other potions to make but not much else from there. He even brought with him some of the potted plants he loved to take care of. 

 

Before leaving, Hyungwon made sure to set up some wards around the house as to not have intruders enter. When all was set, he and Jooheon stood outside, belongings at their side and ready to leave. 

 

“I already told Miss Choi that we'd be arriving, so she should be expecting us by now.” Hyungwon explained. He hadn't said much of this Miss Choi person aside from the fact that she's a witch who specializes in summons. Jooheon had never met or seen a witch, has only heard horror stories from the people in his village, so he wasn't sure what to expect. He half expected to be met with the horrifying woman who'd inflict a curse on him, but if Hyungwon wasn't what he thought he'd be , than maybe this Miss Choi wouldn't be so bad either… At least he hoped. 

 

Hyungwon took out a wooden wand, holding it in front of him before mumbling something under his breath. Pressure started to emit from the Necromancer as he cast a spell, drawing out symbols in the air with the wand. Suddenly, as if the fabric of space itself was being ripped open, a large hole opened up in front of the two. Jooheon screamed, stepping back from it in shock. 

 

From the looks of it, he can see a whole other location from the hole, a rocky terrain with thin trees littered around it. 

 

Hyungwon stepped closer, about to step through before he turned back to Jooheon and noticed his shock and slight fear. He lightly chuckled in amusement, a small sign of fondness in his eyes as he stared at Jooheon, before holding out his hand to the younger. 

 

“Come on, you'll be fine. I'll be right beside you,” He assured, gently smiling at Jooheon. 

 

Jooheon looked at Hyungwon’s hand and then his face. Everything about the way Hyungwon smiled at him made Jooheon believe his words. That it will be okay, that he'll be safe. 

 

He took his hand, taking it upon himself to interlace their fingers. Hyungwon’s hand, albeit cold, felt soft and his grip was tight, but not painfully so, around his own. He turned back to the strange portal and stepped through it slowly, gently pulling along Jooheon with him. 

 

Hyungwon had fully stepped through, the only thing keeping him in the forest was his locked hand with Jooheon’s. Jooheon stared down at the space between both locations, a heavy feeling of fear of the unknown overcoming him. It was almost surreal seeing two completely different locations in the same spot, Jooheon wasn't sure if he could process it right away. 

 

He felt a squeeze in his hand and he looked up, Hyungwon staring at him with concern in his large eyes. “Hey, if you don't think you can do it, we can come back some other day.”

 

Hyungwon’s voice was soft and gentle, reassuring even. His eyes showed concern for the other, a willingness to back down if Jooheon didn't want to do this - whatever  _ this  _ was. Hyungwon was being understanding and kind, considerate of Jooheon fear. 

 

It made Jooheon’s heart swell up in his chest and even gave him a spur of courage, “N-no, I can do this!” he quickly said, gaining a proud smile from Hyungwon. It only fueled Jooheon more. 

 

He quickly stepped through, wanting to get traveling through this bizarre portal thing over with already. Upon stepping through, he felt a strange sensation run through his body before his stomach violently churned. He bent over in pain, gripping at his stomach with his free arm and whining in pain. 

 

Hyungwon only laughed as he rubbed Jooheon’s back in a comforting manner, “Sorry, I was gonna warn you about the backlash of traveling through portals like so, but you stepped in before I could. It's uncomfortable but you get used to it.”

 

It didn't take long for the strange sensation to disappear almost as quickly as it came. After making sure he was okay, Hyungwon gently squeeze Jooheon’s hand before unlocking their hands and turning his back towards him. Jooheon already missed the feeling of Hyungwon’s hand in his. 

 

Looking forward to where the other was going, he noticed a small house hidden in the trees. It looked similar to the other house they stayed in, except noticeably smaller. 

 

Hyungwon waved his hand in a way that Jooheon could only assume was casting a spell before he opened the door and walked in. Jooheon followed closely behind, looking around the living space as he did so. It was similar to the first houses, a small living room and kitchen, bookshelves filled to the brim with different forms of literature, and small little knick knacks that adorned the house. Hyungwon put down some of the belonging he had and motioned for Jooheon to do the same. 

 

“Miss Choi?” Hyungwon called looking around as if expecting someone. As they walked in, they noticed that there was no sign of life in the house. 

 

Suddenly, a loud bang followed by a shrill scream could be heard from a room down the hallway, startling both Jooheon and Hyungwon. Hyungwon instantly stepped in front of the younger and took on a battle stance. His eyes were trained on the room that the cry came from, hand held out with a spell ready to cast. His whole body began to emit that disgusting aura that Jooheon had somehow grown familiar with. A fearful Jooheon instinctively pulled out his sword, holding it between trembling hands. 

 

“Who goes there?” Hyungwon growled. 

 

“M-master Hyungwon?” A girl's voice called back. 

 

Hyungwon’s battle stance seemed to falter as he recognized the voice, “Miss Umji? What's going on in there?”

 

“D-Don't come in!”

 

“Why? Are you alright?”

 

The girl, this Umji girl, failed to reply at first. They heard another loud bang that startled the both of them before the girl finally emerged from the room, quickly stepping out and shutting the door behind her. She had a cute, rounded face and brown wavy hair. She looked young younger than Jooheon. She was heavily panting and her hair seemed like she just had it pulled in a few different directions. 

 

Umji had her back against the bedroom door in a defensive manner. She forced a smile as she stared back at the two, “Welcome home, Master Hyungwon.” 

 

“Hello, Miss Umji,” Hyungwon greeted, skeptically looking between her and the door. “Mind telling me what you were doing in my bedroom?”

 

“Ahh, that?” She giggled nervously, avoiding eye contact with the Necromancer. “Master Yuna had asked me to practice some summoning spells and even gave me a precise step by step process of it all to use.”

 

“What were you told to summon?”

 

“Just some low-level spirits. I believe they were going to be the spirits of small animals, squirrels and the such but…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced back at the door. 

 

“But?”

 

“B- but! I thought that the spell was much too simple and I decided to… Experiment a little…”

 

At that moment, a roar loud enough to cause the floor to tremble could be heard from the room. Umji squealed in fear, pulling away from the door and covering her ears. Jooheon yelped in surprise as well, stepping back at the sound. Hyungwon was the only one who stood firmly, a deep frown on his face, seemingly lost in thought. 

 

The roar quieted down, but movement could be heard from the other side. 

 

Coming to some decision, Hyungwon turned to Jooheon and said, “Well, guess your monster-fighting training starts today!”

 

“What?!” Jooheon squeaked, looking at the Necromancer with wide eyes, “You can't be serious?”

 

“What better time to start than now? ” Hyungwon gestured towards the door that some monster was waiting behind. “I mean no disrespect when I say this, but Miss Umji has only studied the basics in summoning. Whatever is in that room is by no means life threatening, I can confirm that. Harmful and strong, I admit, but nothing you can't handle.”

 

“If you weren't so strong, Master Hyungwon, I'd say you were underestimating that creature.” Umji says, staring at the door in caution, “When I attempted to return it to where it came from, it seemed to repel my magic.”

 

Hyungwon proudly smiled at Umji, “Then you did good, you were able to summon a monster far above your strength. You're making progress! Miss Choi will be proud as well once she hears of this.”

 

Umji blushed at the sudden compliment, fully expecting to be scolded for her screw up. She strayed from the spell sheet she had and ended up summoning a monster stronger than her own magical power, yet Hyungwon was  _ complimenting  _ her skills. She felt happy yet conflicted. She was able to muster up the strength to summon the beast, but not to return it from where it came from. 

 

“Don't worry about the monster, we'll take care of it.” Hyungwon said, looking back to Jooheon and gesturing him to follow. 

 

Internally groaning, he quickly followed behind Hyungwon as they made their way towards the bedroom. Umji looked nervous, worried for the two despite Hyungwon’s words. 

 

“Pl-please be careful…”

 

With Jooheon in tow, Hyungwon entered the bedroom and quickly shut the door behind them. The first thing Jooheon noticed was the wolf-like monster clawing at the now ruined bed. Despite it looking like a wolf, Jooheon could tell that this thing was more of a threat than a normal one, it was larger than an adult wolf and it seemed to radiate the same dark aura Hyungwon often gave off. The second thing he noticed was how destroyed the room was; the bed was currently being ripped to shreds and many of the furniture that decorated the room were thrown on the ground with deep claw marks in it all. 

 

“Miss Umji really outdid herself,” Hyungwon said, genuinely impressed as he watched the creature. Jooheon couldn't understand how he wasn't  _ freaking out right now.  _

 

Upon hearing his words, the creature turned towards the two of them, bearing its fangs and growling deeply. Jooheon held his sword out towards it, trying to keep his stance firm as he faced it. 

 

Hyungwon stepped away from the younger, “Just remember our training, alright? I'll be right here if you need me.”

 

“A-alright…” Jooheon said, gulping in nervousness. 

 

At that moment, the monster leapt towards Jooheon who quickly sidestepped its attack. He quickly steadied his stance, trying to get a better grip on his sword. 

 

The first step in any fight was to gain composure. A sword is useless if the wielder of it can't use it properly. Jooheon had to recollect himself, calm his nerves, and face this beast as if he were facing Hyungwon. Except this time, it wasn't just intense sparring, the goal was to kill here, and Jooheon wasn't sure if he could do it but he supposes that that's why they're here.

 

The beast quickly turned around in an attempt to bite at Jooheon’s leg, but he quickly moved away. 

 

This wasn't going to work. He needed to attack, he couldn't stay on the defense this entire time otherwise this fight would drag on. He had to put everything he'd learned from not only Hyungwon but Shownu as well into this moment. 

 

Taking in a deep breath he steeled himself to fight back, moving to attack the beast before it can make its move. 

 

When Jooheon finally does manage to land an attack and harm the monster, he feels his lips almost pull up into a smile from the accomplishment, but is quickly stopped when the monster only stirs in anger. Jooheon and the beast both attack, Jooheon managing to land most of his attacks and dodge the beast’s. In a spur of desperation, it lunges at Jooheon and instead of cowering away and dodging the attack like he'd been doing, he thrusts his sword forward, stabbing right into the beast’s head.

 

He grimaced when he landed the attack, half expecting blood to spill over his sword and onto the ground. Instead, purple, almost black, ooze began to seep out. It rose up and slowly dissipated, similar to that of smoke. 

 

Life began to drain from its already dull eyes and the monsters body went limp against his sword. It's whole body began to let off the purple smoke-ooze before its entire body disappeared, leaving Jooheon in a daze of what just had just occurred. 

 

He killed it. Jooheon  _ killed a monster.  _

 

This wasn't just a wild wolf threatening to destroy the crops, this was a real monster… an otherworldly creature. A being whose entire purpose was to harm humans… 

 

Jooheon felt pride burn in his chest at his accomplishment, and it was only fueled some more when he noticed the proud look Hyungwon was looking at him with. 

 

“You did well,” He finally said, stepping closer to Jooheon and placing a hand on his shoulder, “I didn't feel the need to intervene at all with this one. Good job.”

 

The compliment makes Jooheon smile. The two step outside the room only to find Umji still standing outside it with a worried look on her face. After reassuring her that they were okay and that the monster she'd accidentally summoned was taken care of, she finally relaxed. 

 

With that settled, Jooheon and Hyungwon moved their things inside the house while Umji began to cook up a welcome-home meal for all of them. 

 

Hyungwon placed the potted plants around the entire house before moving to his own personal bedroom to place what little possessions he brought with him inside. 

 

Jooheon, in turn, stood still in the living room with a confused frown. When Hyungwon noticed it, he asked the younger if he was okay. 

 

“Where do I put my things?” he asked, only to gain a confused frown from Hyungwon. He started to explain, “It's just that the second bedroom is destroyed from the monster. Should I set up in the living room for now?”

 

Hyungwon’s eyes widened in realization. Jooheon was right, everything inside the secondary room was completely torn to shreds by the beast. It was in no condition to be living in, and yet he didn't like the idea of Jooheon sleeping on the cold hard floor of the living room. 

 

“You can stay in my room. My bed’s big enough for two, even three people.” Hyungwon finally suggested, as if two people sleeping together was the most casual thing in the world. 

 

Jooheon’s face flushed a deep red color at the thought, “Y-you mean to share a bed?!”

 

Hyungwon nodded, “I rarely put it to use anyways, so there's no harm in letting you sleep in it.”

 

“A-are you sure though? It's your bed, you don't think it'd be a little weird for us to sleep….  _ Together? _ ” Just saying the words made Jooheon’s face burn from embarrassment, he couldn't even look at Hyungwon. 

 

However, the Necromancer only shrugged nonchalantly, “Minhyuk and I used to share a bed when he took me in, and Changkyun used to crawl into bed with me when he had nightmares. It's really okay.” With that, Hyungwon grabbed Jooheon’s bags for him and took them to his bedroom. Jooheon wasn't sure if sleeping together would turn out as okay as the Necromancer was making it seem to be, but maybe he was simply worrying too much… 

 

Also, the thought of Changkyun crawling into bed with Hyungwon after a nightmare was oddly amusing. Jooheon felt like he could now hold something against the younger thief. 

 

“Dinner’s ready!” Umji called, an eager smile on her face. The two joined her in the small round dining table, four big bowls of beef stew mixed with a colorful variety of veggies. 

 

In contrast to Hyungwon’s lame sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this looked  _ beautiful.  _ Jooheon could feel his mouth begin to water at the sight of it. They sat down to eat and Jooheon couldn't help but notice the fourth, untouched bowl when there were only three of them.

 

“Who's that for?” He finally asked before stuffing his mouth with food. It tasted as good as it looked - a huge contrast from Hyungwon’s bland sandwiches. 

 

“Master Yuna said she'd return just after sunset,” Umji explained, looking out the window. The sun was on the horizon, making the sky a beautiful shade of oranges and pink. Near the mountains, the sunset looked beautiful compared to that of the forest where the tall trees seemed to tower above, blocking the sky. “So I thought I'd have food ready for her when she arrived.”

 

“What did Miss Yuna leave for, anyways?” Hyungwon asked as he lazily stuffed his own mouth with food. 

 

“Ah, she said she had some business to take care of in the kingdom. A client commissioned a very specific potion by my master, so she personally went to deliver it. When she left this morning, she said she would be back by around this time.”

 

“What's she like? This Yuna person?” Jooheon suddenly asked, curious of the person who'd be training him to fight beasts. 

 

Umji beamed at the topic of her master, “Master Yuna is a powerful summoner who can call upon even the strongest of beasts! She's powerful in other types of magic too, it's admirable! Not only that, she's very kind and a wonderful teacher.” There was a fond look on Umji’s face as she spoke so highly of her master, and Jooheon couldn't help but smile along with her. 

 

Teaching wise, this Miss Yuna sounded like a huge contrast compared to how Hyungwon was and Jooheon couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Umji. It must be nice to have a kind teacher… 

 

As if on cue, the door swung open and everyone turned towards the loud noise of the door hitting the wall. A beautiful woman with long black hair and bangs that covered her forehead stood there, a bag in hand. She failed to notice the three staring at her as she walked in, placing the bag in the living room. She walked with such elegance and grace, she reminded Jooheon of a princess with how she held herself. 

 

Hyungwon finally cleared his throat, catching the girl's attention. She stared at the three wide eyed, surprised to find them all here. “Hello, Miss Choi.”

 

“Welcome home, Master!” Umji said, a bright smile on her face, “Foods ready for you.”

 

Yuna let out a breath, placing a hand over her heart, “You all scared me, I didn't even feel your presence. I was so lost in thought!” She walked around to join them, sitting between Umji and Jooheon, across from Hyungwon. She looked at Jooheon and smiled at him. She had a kind, sweet smile that made Jooheon’s heart race. “Hello there. You must be the one Hyungwon has gushed all about. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Choi Yuna, but you can simply call me Yuna.”

 

Jooheon’s could feel his face heat up at the mention of Hyungwon ‘gushing’ about him. His mind started to race with all sorts of questions, what Hyungwon has said about him, if they were positive or negative things. ‘Gushing’ was a positive term right? 

 

Hyungwon’s face was covered by his hand as he groaned in embarrassment, “Miss Choi, please…” Jooheon could only catch a glimpse at the redness of the Necromancer’s cheeks. 

 

Yuna only giggled in response before turning back to Jooheon, waiting for his own introduction. “Ah, I'm Lee Jooheon. The pleasures all mine.” he says with a slight bow of his head towards the witch. 

 

“Jooheon.” She repeated, as if testing the name. “What a pretty name, I'll look forward to working with you.” She smiles again, bright and happy. With that, the four continue to enjoy the food Umji had made for them. 

 

Hyungwon and Yuna caught up with each other, the two seemingly close. Hyungwon had a charming smile on as he spoke with the summoner and Yuna in turn had a grin as they talked. They caught up and talked so casually with each other, Jooheon couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Yuna..  While Hyungwon has gotten more comfortable with Jooheon as of late, he'd rarely ever smile like  _ that  _ at him, and especially not for a long period of time. He wondered how long the two have known each other and how deep their relationship really was… 

 

The sky outside is darkening into a deep blue by the time they're done eating - Jooheon stuffed silly from how much he took in, the other three in no better state. Hyungwon began to start to clean the table up before he was stopped by the two girls. 

 

“It is your first day home, we can't allow you to clean!” Yuna scolded, taking the dirty dishes away from Hyungwon’s hands. 

 

“Exactly.  _ My  _ home. Therefore  _ I  _ should clean, especially after you two so graciously took care of it.” Hyungwon dead panned, taking the dishes back. 

 

Yuna puffed her cheeks in irritation, “Nonsense. Give those back,” She took the dishes back and Hyungwon growled at the witch, glaring at her smug smirk as she walked away to clean them off. “You and Jooheon should rest up for the evening. We'll start training bright and early tomorrow, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some rest now while you can.”

 

“And where will you two be staying?” Jooheon asked. Since Hyungwon was home he and Jooheon would be taking the master bedroom, but the secondary was completely unusable. 

 

“We'll be nearby, I must return to my own home for now before I tend to the other house.” When Yuna noticed the confused look on Jooheon’s face, she further explained, “Hyungwonnie over here pays me to house sit for one of his many houses while he's away from them all. I'll be tending to the home you two recently left from now on. However, for now I will be staying in my own home so that I could be nearby for our training. So do not worry about us, dear Jooheon. Go on and rest, we'll get everything cleaned up and ready for tomorrow.”

 

Hyungwon sighed, “I still need t-”

 

“Nope! You need rest!” Yuna scolded, holding up a finger to silence the Necromancer. Jooheon never thought he'd see someone so easily order the terrifying murderer that was Chae Hyungwon around. It was almost amusing especially considering how small Yuna was compared to Hyungwon. He towered above her, and yet she was scolding him like a mother would to her child… “When was the last time you had gotten a wink of sleep, huh?”

 

Hyungwon’s avoided Yuna’s demanding gaze. “If hasn't been  _ that  _ long…”

 

“Really now? Those bags underneath your eyes say otherwise. How long, Chae?”

 

Hyungwon stayed silent for a long moment before he finally said, “Three weeks,” in a small voice. 

 

“Ha! It's as if you're begging that demon of yours to take over! Go on, off to bed with you!” Yuna scolded, pushing Hyungwon towards the bedroom. “I want to see the candles out and not a single book open, got it?” Yuna demanded before turning her glare towards Jooheon, gaining a squeal of fear, “And you. Make sure this insomniac-fool gets some sleep. I won't help either of you if Hyungwon keeps putting himself through this nonsense.”

 

“Y-yes ma'am…” Jooheon says, following the two towards the bedroom. 

 

After scolding Hyungwon one last time about his awful sleep schedule, Yuna leaves the two to lay down. “Umji and I will handle everything, so rest easy for the rest of the night. Goodnight, boys,” She smiles sweetly before shutting the door.

 

Yuna was a… Strange one. She was a beautiful woman, could easily pass as a princess with looks like those, but she was feisty and scary when need be. Jooheon didn't even want to know how powerful she truly was. Even Hyungwon let himself be pushed around by the summoner, so she had to be strong. 

 

Hyungwon sighs in defeat as he begins to look through the drawers for some comfortable clothes to change into, “Well, we can't fight Yuna when she's like this, so we might as well do as she says.”

 

“She's an interesting one,” Jooheon says with a small smile as he gets his own clothes to sleep in. 

 

Hyungwon chuckles in response, “That she is. But she's very kind. She's very talented as well, you'll see for yourself how strong she is.”

 

Hearing Hyungwon speak so highly of her made Jooheon’s heart feel heavy and he couldn't fathom why. He ignored the feeling in his chest and said, “She seems so. I look forward to training under her.”

 

After changing, Hyungwon curled up in bed first, laying down closer to the wall and facing it. Jooheon, at first, was a little uneasy about lying down with the Necromancer. Sharing a bed still seemed like too much. He was convinced as a child that when you share a bed with another person, it was because that person was someone of great importance in your life. A wife and husband shared a bed because they were in love. Siblings shared a bed because they were family. Hyungwon though… He still wasn't sure what their relationship entailed. He gave their relationship the title of friends, but how close were they really? Did Hyungwon consider Jooheon his friend? 

 

Jooheon was doubtful, but if Hyungwon as willing to share his bed than who was he to reject him? It was definitely big enough for two, so it should be fine. 

 

He pulled up the blankets and tucked himself underneath. He laid on his back while Hyungwon laid on his side, back facing the younger. Jooheon’s whole body felt stiff and he felt wide awake lying beside the Necromancer. Jooheon tried to relax, telling himself that this really wasn't a big deal. They were simply sharing a bed because of the odd circumstances that came about with the monster Umji summoned. Nothing more. 

 

_ Jooheony, you're overthinking this…  _

 

After thinking about it more, Jooheon couldn't help but laugh at himself. If this situation arose when he was first taken under Hyungwon’s care, he would've been  _ terrified _ . His mind would've been racing with crazy assumptions all over again. 

 

He couldn't help but wonder when he got so comfortable with the Necromancer. When he stopped fearing him and when he started caring for him. 

 

“What is it?” Hyungwon’s voice suddenly whispers out, startling Jooheon out of his thoughts. Jooheon didn't even notice Hyungwon roll over to face the younger, big green eyes ready to shut close from drowsiness. However, there was curiosity behind them as well as he stared at the younger. 

 

Jooheon didn't realize that he laughed loud enough for the other to hear and felt embarrassed. He wondered what he should tell the Necromancer, if he should lie or tell the truth. 

 

In the end, he decided that there wasn't any harm in speaking what was on his mind. “I was just thinking about… Us.” He hesitated to continue, face burning at his choice of words. He almost let it end there, but something inside him urged him to tell Hyungwon how he felt. To tell him everything. “We went from tip toeing around each other. Me being scared of you. You completely avoiding me when we weren't training… Now, it's so much easier to talk to you and find a friend in you. After losing my family, I felt so unbearably lost… but you're giving me a reason to fight, Hyungwon. You took me in and are even going so far to make sure I can succeed… It means so much to me. I don't deserve everything you've done for me and I don't know how I could ever repay you, but for now… Thank you so much. For everything. For helping me. For talking with me. For allowing me to be your friend.”

 

Jooheon didn't realize that he was holding Hyungwon’s gaze through his little speech. His face burned with embarrassment when he realized just how much he said, never intending to reveal so much. 

 

He could tell that Hyungwon wasn't expecting his little confession either, staring back at Jooheon with large and surprised eyes. It was dark in the bedroom, so Jooheon failed to notice the blush that crept on the Necromancer’s cheeks. He pulled the blanket over his face to hide it, eyes looking away from Jooheon. 

 

“I… I see…” Hyungwon says, burying himself in his blankets. “I'll admit that at first I was hesitant on taking you in. Forgive me for saying so, but I did not have much hope in your success. But you've proven me wrong many times, and I'm glad to see your growth personally. I want to be someone you can rely on, Jooheon. I'll stick by your side until the end of your journey.”

 

Jooheon’s heart was pounding. He didn't think he'd hear Hyungwon say such heartfelt words. Hearing that he could count on Hyungwon from he himself brought tears to Jooheon’s eyes. His feelings of friendship weren't one-sided… Hyungwon cared for him as well… Hyungwon wanted to help Jooheon just as much, it wasn't a task. It wasn't an annoyance to Hyungwon… 

 

“Thank you,” Jooheon said, voice cracking ever so slightly. “Thank you so much for being someone I can rely on…” He had to blink the tears out of his eyes as he turned his attention to the ceiling. 

 

“Goodnight, Jooheon.” Hyungwon’s soft voice said. 

  
“Goodnight, Hyungwon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Gfriend cameo with my fave members Yuju and Umji!! I've wanted to have these two somewhere in my story so here they are! Also, sorry this took a while, I've been focusing on work and all but I got the strong urge to finish this chapter after seeing Monsta x live!! It was an amazing experience. 
> 
> I made this chapter extra long too ~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the mind of Chae Hyungwon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter thru Hyungwon's point of view! I had writers block for a bit with this chapter and it was originally completely different but I didn't like how it was going and scraped it in favor of giving Hyungwon a chapter lol 
> 
> It's a shorter chapter than usual, but still a good one!! 
> 
> Enjoy!!

Hyungwon is surrounded by nothing but darkness, pitch black shrouding every corner of the room he stood in - if that's what this place even was. However when he looked down at himself, he could see himself in perfect vision and color. Holding out his hand, it was an unnerving contrast from the darkness. 

 

Hyungwon let out a sigh, knowing full well what this was. It was one of the reasons he disliked sleeping. Everything this was - the darkness, nothing visible no matter how much Hyungwon moved - was nothing more than a trap set by the demon that haunts Hyungwon from within. It took this opportunity to speak with the cursed Necromancer, to try to gain control. It happened every time he fell asleep, like an awful recurring dream he has no control over. He's self aware and he knows that the darkness that surrounds him is endless - he's tried finding an end to it a number of times and failed. So he stops fighting it. Stops trying to ignore the demon. 

 

However, Hyungwon was stronger now. While he has accepted the thing as a part of him, he still rejects its attempts to take over. This was his body, and he would have control. The power he borrows from the demon is not repaid through control of his body, it  _ knows  _ that. Yet it's stubborn, wanting nothing more than to wreak havoc in its master's body. 

 

Was Hyungwon really the master in this situation? He wasn't sure. He was definitely at it's mercy at times and even feared it, yet Hyungwon was the one who contracted it to give him power. The lives of his family member for this endless power. That was the deal. So why was this thing always trying to hurt him when he did his part of the deal?

 

“Hyungwon… It's been a while, hasn't it?” A raspy, deep voice could be heard from seemingly everywhere. It greeted Hyungwon as if they were friends, and it irritated the Necromancer. 

 

There was still simply pitch black for miles on end, so Hyungwon didn't know where to look when talking to it, so he simply looked forward with a furrow of his brows, “What do you want?”

 

“Is that any way to greet your old friend? Afterall, I am the only one who truly cares for you Hyungwon.”

 

“Shut up.” Hyungwon snarled. 

 

“But it's true! That Lee Minhyuk only took you in because you were a danger to the world. He had to find a way to restrain you, to make sure you wouldn't cause any trouble. He doesn't care about  _ you,  _ but the potential damage you can cause. But you can easily overpower him, you know. I'll even lend you the strength needed to do so. Can you imagine the power we'd gain if we took the life of that odd magician? And Lim Changkyun? He was a criminal thief to begin with. He wants nothing more than the treasure you love to do research of. He doesn't actually care about you, so where's the harm in taking his life? Afterall the crimes that boy’s committed, we'd be doing the world a favor of discarding him. He wouldn't supply much power like Minhyuk, but it'd definitely be worth the trouble if you ask me.”

 

Hyungwon stayed quite, merely taking its words in. This wasn't something new. The demon always tried to get into his head, manipulate the way he sees those around him. Just like every other time, he'll just have to endure it. Take the cold words it spouts of the two dearest people to him. Because it's not like he could really  _ do  _ anything but stand there, as frustrating as that was. But he's learned to ignore its words. He's no longer fazed by its threats, knowing full well that it's harmless when it remains dormant in his body. 

 

“And that Lee Jooheon… An odd fellow, that one is. The one with those  _ disgusting  _ scars on his cheek and body?”

 

Hyungwon’s head jerked up at the mention of his apprentices name, eyes wide in horror. 

 

Okay, maybe this was different. In the few months that he'd known the younger, Jooheon had  _ never  _ been mentioned. Not until now, that is… 

 

“Leave Jooheon out of this…” Hyungwon said, voice trembling. 

 

He's heard this demon speak of killing Minhyuk and Changkyun before a number of times, sometimes even Miss Choi, it seemed to have its sight set on them, but Jooheon? Jooheon did nothing wrong. He didn't have an extraordinary amount of power like Minhyuk and Miss Choi, and he didn't have Changkyun’s strength. It had no reason to target the younger. 

 

“Don't you find him fascinating? I mean, he's a magic less human who actually survived the attack of a dragon. It's not an everyday occurrence that a human just waltzes out of a dragon's wrath with just a few scratches. He seems to be worth… More. More than what we see.”

 

“What are you implying?” Hyungwon snarled. It's always bothered Hyungwon when the demon begins to speak of it hurting his friends, but he's never been able to do anything about it. He ended up vowing that he would do everything in his power to keep them safe, it was the only thing he could do against this thing. But at the mention of Jooheon, and whatever it was implying that it wanted from it… 

 

Hyungwon’s entire body was trembling in fury. 

 

“You already know exactly what I want,  _ Wonnie _ .” The sound of Minhyuk’s pet name for Hyungwon in the demon's voice only fueled the Necromancer’s frustration. “Just hand your body over to me, and maybe I'll let the boy live.”

 

“Shut up! You don't get to just bargain with me like that, how dare you?!” Hyungwon screamed. 

 

“Oh my. You seem to have strong feelings for the boy.” It chuckles in amusement, and Hyungwon’s heart feels heavy at the mention of his feelings toward Jooheon. 

 

Yes, he cares for Jooheon. A lot. A lot more than he thought he'd allow himself to feel. Hyungwon didn't think he could ever like someone, or even love them, didn't think he was capable of feeling such things since he became a Necromancer. Yet Jooheon has somehow managed to make Hyungwon feel things he hasn't felt since a child. Jooheon was as bright as the sun, melting the ice that enclosed Hyungwon’s heart. Yes, he cared for Minhyuk and Changkyun as well, but what he felt towards Jooheon was something different. Something more. 

 

“How childish of you. Do you really think that boy would ever care for you?” Hyungwon’s hands were balled into fists, knowing full well what the demon was going to say next. “You're a monster. A disgusting excuse for a human. Do you really think that boy could ever love someone who  _ murdered their own kin _ ?”

 

“Shut up!” Hyungwon shouted, anger burning throughout his body. “You don't think I know that?! The sins I've committed are unforgivable and I don't deserve any kindness from anybody, let alone someone like Jooheon,  _ I know that! _ But that doesn't mean I won't protect him from you.”

 

It laughed again, only fueling Hyungwon’s anger. “I've tried to kill him before you know. I would have succeeded if that mentor of yours didn't intervene.”

 

Hyungwon’s eyes widened in horror, distraught upon hearing that  _ he  _ almost killed Jooheon. He tried to remember when it could've happened, when he allowed the demon to take over, but his memories were failing him. 

 

“He's weak. Frail. Nothing compared to Minhyuk and Changkyun. He can't even compare to that of a common soldier. What makes you think I  _ can't  _ try to do it again?”

 

“You'll have to gain control first.” Hyungwon snarled, “I won't let you bring any harm to Jooheon!”

 

The voice laughed, “We'll see about that. I can be patient. That boy will only be of true use to me when he can successfully kill the dragon that took from him. That kind of revenge that he so desperately desires is what I live for. When it's burning the strongest, that's when I'll attack. I may be at your mercy, Chae Hyungwon, but I do have my own power growing, waiting to be used. It may not be ready yet, but when it is…”

 

It goes silent, and Hyungwon is frozen in place. It's not over, he knows it's not. He's still asleep and that demon is definitely still around. 

 

“Hyungwon!” A voice that's different from that of the demons calls and the Necromancer’s blood runs cold upon hearing it. It's Jooheon’s.

 

He turns around only to find the younger standing in front of him, smiling brightly. His eyes are reduced to that of crescents on his face, and his smile, dimples and all, is almost blinding to Hyungwon. His heart begins to swell with adoration for the younger and Jooheon’s smile almost makes the Necromancer smile in return despite the darkness that surrounds them. 

 

Suddenly, Jooheon’s entire body began to deteriorate, bits and pieces of his body being blown away similar to that of ash caught in the wind. His smile no longer held that bright shine, and instead seemed almost disturbing when Jooheon’s entire body was deteriorating. 

 

“... I'll take the light he shines on you and destroy it.”

 

Hyungwon gasps awake before panting heavily, his body covered in a cold sweat. His weak heart was beating faster than he could ever remember it beating. 

 

He turns to his left, finding Jooheon facing him, still fast asleep. The sight of the younger safe and in one piece relaxed that Necromancer ever so slightly, but he was still quite shaken from it all. He tried to calm his pounding heart, breathing in and out slowly in hopes of doing so. When he finally calmed down, Hyungwon focused his attention on Jooheon again. His breathing was slow and quiet, his face almost peaceful. He had one arm underneath the pillow he was using and the other beside his head, between him and Hyungwon. 

 

The Necromancer wanted to reach out and hold the younger. Pull him into his arms and hold on as tightly as possible and never letting go. 

 

_ You're a monster. A disgusting excuse for a human.  _

 

The demon’s voice echoes in his head. Hyungwon hated that demon. Hated the way it tried to take control, manipulate his feelings towards those around him. However, he knew that there was some truth behind its words. 

 

Jooheon deserved everything good in the world and Hyungwon was not that. He was the embodiment of darkness. A human who followed the way of dark magic, who brought nothing but misfortune to those around him. 

 

He didn't deserve Jooheon. Would never deserve the brightness that he brings with him. Because Jooheon was a human and Hyungwon was a monster. Because Jooheon simply wants to avenge his family and Hyungwon wanted power who went through some awful lengths to achieve his goal. 

 

Jooheon deserves only the best. 

 

But for now, Hyungwon will allow himself to take advantage of the happiness Jooheon brings him. Thrive off of the light he shines for as long as he can before they inevitably part ways. 

 

Hyungwon’s heart begins to ache in a way he'd never felt before at the thought of Jooheon leaving him. He doesn't like the idea, hates it in fact. He supposed that he knew. Knew from the very beginning that it would happen. Hyungwon would help him gain power, kill the dragon, and then leave to continue his life somewhere where he could be happy. Happier than what he would be compared to staying with Hyungwon. Because why would Jooheon  _ want  _ to remain by the Necromancer’s side afterwards? 

 

Hyungwon gently slips his hand underneath Jooheon’s and interlaced their fingers, finding his touch comforting. He softly squeezes Jooheon’s hand, running his thumb over the other’s knuckles. 

 

Yes, this was all Hyungwon would allow himself to enjoy from Jooheon. Nothing more. He didn't deserve more. He didn't deserve Jooheon. Be he's here now. With him. Laying beside him in the darkness of his bedroom. 

  
Hyungwon will hold onto Jooheon as tightly as he could until the day they part ways. 


	10. Chapter 10

“Shit!” Jooheon growled as he stumbled back, an attack from the summoned monster landing and grazing the skin of his shoulder. He could feel blood begin to seep from the wound but he ignored it in favor of finishing off the beast. 

 

It was a large, six foot tall, sword wielding lizard monster that he faced. It was one of the scariest things he'd faced since the dragon - there was something unsettling about seeing a common animal like a lizard in the form of a warrior. Yet, it was one of Master Yuna’s favorite things to summon for whatever reason. It was strong and skilled with a sword when facing against an enemy, but by Yuna’s side, it was like a loyal pet… Cute and endearing (or as cute as a giant lizard monster can be), loving to its master.

 

“Don't stop now,” Hyungwon’s voice called out. On the sidelines, he and Master Yuna stood beside each other as they watched Jooheon fight the beast, analyzing his skills and his ability to fight it. 

 

This has become the routine every other day of the week squeezed into their normal training schedule. Jooheon would face off against one of Master Yuna’s many familiars, killing some in victory and losing to others. If he'd managed to kill them, both Hyungwon and Yuna would shower him in praise, but when he lost, they'd go into a detailed explanation of how he should go about beating the beast next time. They'd mention what they're weakness are, what to do to gain the advantage over them, things like so. 

 

However, this lizard beast thing that Yuna is so fond of is something that Jooheon has continuously lost against, unable to overpower it. The advice given to him by his teachers have been of little help. 

 

Jooheon reels his arm back to swing his sword as the beast charges towards him when he hears Yuna’s voice, “Enough,” She says and both he and the beast freeze in place. 

 

“Huh?” Jooheon says, looking at her with confusion, “I can keep fighting!”

 

“I'm sure you can,” Yuna acknowledges as she steps closer to her summoned beast. “But you are injured and it's best to treat wounds as soon as possible. Umji, please tend to Jooheon’s wound.” she called out towards the youngest. 

 

Jooheon glanced down at his shoulder, crimson blood staining the fabric of his shirt. He resisted the urge to cringe at the sight of it as his stomach churned in disgust. At first, he didn't feel the pain, the adrenaline that ran through his veins from fighting keeping him from feeling it. But now, it stung terribly and he was grateful to Yuna’s consideration. 

 

Umji soon stepped out of the house and walked over to them, “Yes, Master.” From what Jooheon’s seen from staying with the couple for a few weeks now, Umji is still learning the art of healing. However, a scratch like the one on his shoulder is no problem - a basic healing spell could be used. 

 

Umji gestured for Jooheon to sit as she raised her hand over the scratch. She closed her eyes and began to recite a spell before her hands glowed a faint pink. It reminded Jooheon of Kihyun and how he used his magic. Slowly, the wound began to close and the pain subsided along with it. 

 

“I must say, you've improved greatly, Jooheon.” Yuna suddenly compliments as she pets the lizard beast’s head, “You used to quake in your boots at the sight of my summons, and now you face against them like a common warrior.”

 

Jooheon felt pride swell in his chest at the compliment, “Thank you.”

 

“How would you feel about facing off a dragon?”

 

Jooheon’s blood runs cold at the word, “D-dragon? You can summon one?” suddenly his chest felt heavy with fear. 

 

“There,” Umji suddenly said as she let out a breath, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. “Do you feel better, Jooheon?”

 

Her worried glance made him smile, “Yes, much better. Thank you.” Jooheon had almost forgotten that Umji was healing him, the prospect of seeing a dragon making him forget everything.

 

She smiled brightly, “It's no problem.” Umji said before taking her leave. 

 

Jooheon reluctantly turns back to Yuna, a smirk on her face, “So… you can really summon… Dragons?”

 

Yuna chuckles in amusement and with an almost cocky smirk on her face says, “I can. But relax, dear Jooheon. Dragons are some of the most complicated creatures to summon. Some of the best summoners in the world can't do it. Even I have my limitations. I can only summon small, weaker leveled dragons. They're small, equal to that of the size of a full grown wolf and do not grow much larger than that. They're dangerous and can be just as much of a threat as a normal dragon, but my summons are always tamed beast who do my bidding. You will be in safe hands, Jooheon. This is but a mere test of courage. You've face off against many of my familiars already and have even come victorious against some. If you wish to defeat the dragon that took from you, you must first learn to face one without fear capturing your heart.”

 

Jooheon reluctantly nodded at her words, knowing them to be true. Despite the improvements he's made through the many months, the memory of that fateful night still haunts him to this day. The cold eyes of the dragon staring back into his fearful ones is something he'll never get over and dreads the day he has to stare into them once more. He knows he has to overcome his fear, that's what this training with Choi Yuna is for. That's the reason he set out on this journey in search of Hyungwon. To become stronger. 

 

“You're right.” Jooheon finally says. He tries to sound confident and unfazed, but he's sure that his face betrays his words. He was frowning in concern and slight fear, his heart already racing at the mere thought of facing a dragon, no matter the size. 

 

Hyungwon steps up beside Jooheon and places a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Don't worry, Honey-Joo. I'll be right beside you the entire time.” Hyungwon had been so quiet up until now that Jooheon almost forgot his presence. 

 

Jooheon let's out a shaky breath before turning to Hyungwon who was smiling softly at him. Jooheon can't help but to return the smile, his heart instantly calming down at Hyungwon’s comforting words. And the nickname Hyungwon had come up with for Jooheon made his heart swell with affection. 

 

Yuna smiles at the two fondly before sending her familiar back to wherever it came from (Jooheon will never understand how summoning works). “Then shall we begin?”

 

Jooheon nodded his head with newfound courage, “Yes!”

 

She smiled again at his sudden confidence. She couldn't help but notice how much calmer he was when Hyungwon was at his side. She takes a few steps back, away from the two men, before holding her hands out to the ground in front of her. Yuna begins to chant some words under her breath in a language Jooheon doesn't understand. As she does so, the air around them suddenly feels heavier, as if gravity had begun to weigh down on them and is putting pressure on them. The ground in front of Yuna began to form symbols in a bright color. 

 

Jooheon couldn't help but notice the look of discomfort on Yuna’s face. She had a furrow to her brows and she was chanting the words almost through grit teeth, as if in pain. He suddenly felt bad about summoning the dragon considering the toll it seemed to put on Yuna. 

 

A bright light suddenly flashed from the middle of the summoning circle, blinding both Hyungwon and Jooheon for a brief second. Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared and in the center stood a scaly beast on its four legs, looking around in curiosity. At the sight of Jooheon and Hyungwon in front of it, it let out a small battle cry, baring it's teeth at them. 

 

Jooheon screamed and instinctively hid behind Hyungwon, who only chuckled in amusement. “How are you not freaking out?!” He screamed the Necromancer, unable to understand how he could find any of this amusing. 

 

“Look at it closely, Jooheon. It's only trying to protect Miss Choi from us. It thinks we're her enemy.” Hyungwon said, pointing at the way the dragon raised its leathery wings in an attempt to seem bigger. It was trying to intimidate them. 

 

Jooheon peered at it, it's deep growling still sending fear through his body but forced himself to take it in. 

 

It was small, true to Yuna’s words, not even half of Jooheon's size. It had beautiful white scales that were red in the tips. It's eyes were a bright yellow, it's iris thick slits similar to that of a cat's eyes. It had short horns on its head, and wings double the size of its body. It had a long tail that had spikes trailing from the tip of it to the midsection of its back. Despite attempting to scare him and Hyungwon, it held fear in its eyes as it faced them. 

 

“It won't attack unless I say so, but it is wary of you guys.” Yuna informed as she walked up to the beast, attempting to calm it down. 

 

When it realized that the two were not a threat to Yuna, it lowered its wings and sat on its hind legs, similar to that of a loyal dog. It was almost amusing. Jooheon didn't think he'd ever see a beast feared by many such as a dragon to behave like so. It stayed close by Yuna’s side as if still suspicious that the two would do something. 

 

“See? Completely harmless.” Yuna says as she pets the scaly beast’s head. 

 

“Yeah, until you demand it to kill something…” Jooheon says with a slight frown. Despite its docile act, he knew it had the potential to hurt if not  _ kill  _ them. 

 

Yuna, however, laughed at his remark. “True, but my order is to simply train with you, not kill you. Now come closer, Jooheon.” she gestured for him to approach the dragon, who only stared back at him curiously. 

 

Jooheon felt something slide into his hand, holding it tightly. He jumped at the sudden touch and almost squealed before he realized it was Hyungwon’s hand. “Go on. Like I said, I'll be right beside you.” Hyungwon gave Jooheon’s hand a light squeeze. 

 

Suddenly filled with courage, Jooheon began to step towards the scaly beast with Hyungwon in tow. However, the closer he got to it, the smaller his steps became. When he stood only a few feet away from it, it's golden eyes staring up at Jooheon, he tried to look as brave as possible. However, he could feel his entire body trembling in place as he stared at it. Had Hyungwon’s grip on his hand not been there to ground him, Jooheon would have surely ran away to hide. 

 

Yuna had to turn her head away from the two in an attempt to repress her laughter. “Don't laugh!! I'm trying my best!” Jooheon cried, only fueling Yuna’s amusement. 

 

“Forgive me for laughing, but I do condemn your efforts, dear Jooheon.” She said with that amused grin. Yuna ran her hand over the dragon’s head with affection. “Go on, try to pet it.”

 

Slowly and with stiff arms, Jooheon reached his free hand towards the scaly beast, his body turned the other way ready to run if need be. The dragon stared up at Jooheon’s hand with slight confusion, unsure of his intentions. Seeming to understand, it stepped forward and pressed its head against the palm of Jooheon’s hand, nuzzling into it with the same affection it gave Yuna. 

 

Upon contact with its cold, hard scales and the sudden touch, Jooheon let out a small squeal and had to resist the urge to jerk away. When he realized that it was a harmless action and actually seeking Jooheon’s touch, he relaxed ever so slightly. 

 

“I-I’m touching it?” He practically screamed, staring down at the way the dragon seemingly purred to his touch. 

 

“You are.” Hyungwon says with a proud smile, giving the hand linked to his a gentle squeeze. 

 

“I'm touching it!” A smile spread across his face. His heart was still pounding in his chest and Jooheon was still ready to leap at any given moment, but if this were to continue, he was sure that he could become more courageous when facing his real enemy. 

 

“It seems to like you,” Yuna says, a fond smile on her face. 

 

“Touch it, Hyungwon! It's scales are surprising smooth…” Jooheon says, turning towards the Necromancer with an excited smile. 

 

Hyungwon couldn't help but to return the smile before nodding. Confidently, he reached out towards the dragon, ready to pet its head. 

 

However, the dragon must have sensed that something about Hyungwon was off. One second, it was affectionately nuzzling into Jooheon’s hand, and the next it had its sharp teeth digging to Hyungwon’s hand, growling deeply and glaring up at the Necromancer. 

 

All three of them stared down at the dragons sudden action in shock. All three were unsure of what to do, for what could they do? Jooheon wasn't sure if attempting to pry the beast off his hand was the best idea. As for Yuna, she had strictly demanded it to not hurt any of them, yet here they were… 

 

“ _ Guys _ ,” Hyungwon said with a sense of urgency in his voice. He was trying to remain calm in hopes of not angering the dragon any further and tearing his entire hand off, but was clearly losing that composure the longer its fangs sunk into his skin, “Do something,  _ please. _ ”

 

______________________

 

“What did you do to anger the poor creature?” Umji complained as she wrapped gauze around Hyungwon’s wounded hand, a look of concern on her face. 

 

“Nothing, I don't think. I was only trying to pet it…” Hyungwon admits with an embarrassed pout as he looked down at his hand. Underneath the guaze were four deep teeth marks imprinted on both sides of his hand where the dragon had managed to break the skin. 

 

When Yuna finally managed to get the dragon off of Hyungwon, they quickly rushed him to Umji to clean up and patch the wound. The last spell she used on Jooheon had worn her completely of using magic spells for the rest of the day, so they had resort to first aid in order to patch up his wounds. Blood was streaming down from each wound, making Jooheon nauseous at the sight of it. He couldn't bring himself to stick around so remained outside while Umji cleaned up the wound. Yuna remained by Hyungwon’s side, at first apologizing for her summoned beast acting out before laughing at the entire situation. 

 

“I suppose it's true for what they say about animal instinct.” She's has a teasing grin on her face as she stares at Hyungwon’s wrapped hand. 

 

He glares back at her smirk, knowing full well that some snarky remark would be said next, “ _ What?  _ What do they say, Miss Choi?”

 

“Oh, nothing, Mr. Embodiment of Darkness. Just that they can tell when a person is as pure as gold and when someone's heart is as cold as ice.”

 

Hyungwon knew Yuna was only joking. Was making light of the situation. If there was one thing he knew all too well about the notorious Choi Yuna was that she loved to poke fun of people’s past mistakes. He didn't take them to heart and if anything has been called much worse by strangers than what she has said. He's learned to play along with her unusual sense of humor. 

 

“Is that so…” 

 

“I mean, did you see how much it adored Jooheon? I didn't command it to be so loving to him, you know. Just to not hurt or scare the poor boy and yet it sought out his attention. As for you, well…” She glanced down at his now bandaged hand. Umji finally finished and was putting away the first aid equipment. “You are one of the most feared men in the seven kingdoms for a reason.”

 

Hyungwon returned her smirk, ready to reply with a snarky comment of his own, “If that were the case, then you should probably refrain from summoning the dragon again.”

 

“Oh? Scared that it'll bite you again?”

 

“No. More like I fear for your own safety, Miss Choi Summoner-of-Demons Yuna. I'm not the only one under this roof who's feared by most of the kingdoms, you know, and it's definitely not Miss Umji.”

 

She giggled at his comment, “Good point. On a more serious note, did you find my beasts behavior to be a little… Odd?”

 

“You mean the way it warmed up to Jooheon so easily?” Yuna nodded. Hyungwon looked down at his now bandaged hand and frowned in thought. Yes, it was very odd. Most animals can smell fear and are fully aware of when what they're up against is uneasy. Jooheon was a terrified, trembling mess. Most of Yuna’s summons would use Jooheon’s fear against him to gain the upper hand in battle or simply stay away from him if they weren't fighting. Yet the dragon was actually affectionate to Jooheon. Did it see his courage in his attempt to pet it, or was there something more? Something deeper… “They do say dragons are one of the smartest creatures. Perhaps it sensed something in Jooheon…”

 

“The boy doesn't have a trace of magical power in his body though, what could it have sensed?”

 

Hyungwon took a moment to answer because even he wasn't sure. However, it would add the pieces together. The way the dragon instantly warmed up to Jooheon wasn't normal. And for a magicless human such as himself to survive an attack from a dragon strong enough to destroy entire villages. Did the dragon from that fateful night simply fail to kill him? Or did it see something in Jooheon as well and  _ let  _ him live. But for what reason? What could they have seen in him to be so kind (as kind as a raging dragon could be) towards him? 

 

“I'm not sure. Jooheon’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. He's weak, yet so strong. Strong willed, strong minded. The boys been through so much, and yet he still somehow wakes up every morning with a smile on his face.” Hyungwon had to stop himself before he rambled on about how great Jooheon was. 

 

Yuna nodded as she took in his words, “Perhaps they saw his potential?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Dragons do not like humans. They despise us and nearly avoid contact with us entirely and yet mine was so fond of Jooheon. It's never even been that affectionate with me, it's master. Jooheon may be human, but perhaps there's some hidden power locked away in him…”

 

“If I may,” Umji suddenly spoke. The two had almost forgotten of her presence, too deep in their own conversation. However, they both turned to her in curiosity. “My grandparents once told me that many,  _ many  _ years ago humans and dragons once lived together in peace. They worked together and helped each other out and even taught each other many things. Humans learned a special kind of magic to fight not only with, but against the dragons if need be. And in kind, the humans would help the dragons in any way they could. That time of peace between us has long been dead after the great war, of course. This may be a stretch, but perhaps Jooheon is a descendent of the dragon riders from way back than.”

 

It was a stretch indeed and yet it made  _ sense.  _ Hyungwon had done extensive research on the human and dragon age himself because he found it fascinating but it never occurred to him that someone could still be born with that kind of bloodline. Humans living alongside dragons in perfect harmony felt almost like a fairy tale, yet it was written in deep detail in history books. The people back than were powerful, generations of people being born with the gift to not only fight dragons, but to speak with them. But that was back than. Now? Those kinds of people, the dragon riders as they called it, only existed in the history books. No one in this day and age could equal in strength to that of a dragon except the dragon slayers. However, that wasn't the same, their bodies weren't infused with dragon blood like the people in the history books. They had magical  _ weapons  _ which were crafted with the strict intent to kill dragons. It wasn't the same. Being born with power and gaining that power were completely different, Hyungwon knew that all too well. 

 

“Descendant or not, the age of humans with dragon blood died off many years ago. Even if it were running through his veins, it should be so thin that dragons of our time shouldn't even be able to sense it.” Hyungwon said. “And anyways, dragon riders were immune to fire attacks, and yet Jooheon has many burn scars from his encounter with a dragon. While it makes sense, it doesn't all fit together.”

 

They stayed silent in thought. Hyungwon had a point, but Jooheon being born of dragon rider blood would also explain the behavior of the dragons he'd encountered. How else would a human be able to survive a dragon attack? 

 

“Perhaps Jooheon  _ was _ born special, but hasn't completely unlocked that dragon blood within him.” Umji suggested. “Master Hyungwon, there's no way to prove me theory now, but I strongly believe Jooheon is of dragon rider blood. Dragons don't just act like that around humans. Master Yuna’s summon must have seen something in Jooheon. When you do decide to take him to one of the many temples in the seven kingdoms, I suggest you take him to one of dragon worshiping. Only there could we find out the truth of Jooheon and his true strength will come out.”

 

Hyungwon nodded as he took in her words. Umji had a good point, had good reasoning behind her theory, and yet the thought of putting Jooheon through a temple solely dedicated towards the creatures he despises hurt him a little. However, Hyungwon did promise Jooheon that he'd help him in any way he could. If this is what it took, unlocking the supposed dragon blood in his body, than so be it. He'll begin his research of dragon worshipping temples soon. 

 

As if on cue, Jooheon pops his head in through the front door, “Are you all patched up now?” He asked, looking straight at Hyungwon. 

 

Hyungwon felt his heart swell with affection towards the younger as he nodded, “Yes,” He says with a small smile, “You don't have to worry anymore. Miss Umji here did a great job at cleaning up and wrapping my wounds. Thank you so much, Miss Umji.” 

 

The youngest girl blushed at the sudden compliment and smiles in return, “It was nothing, Master Hyungwon. Just don't anger anymore small dragons, please.” she says with a playful tone. 

 

Hyungwon’s smile falls immediately and he glares down at his hand, “Maybe if your master had better control of her summons, this wouldn't have been an issue.”

 

In response, Yuna threw one of Hyungwon’s many books at him, gaining a laugh from everyone in the room. 

 

_____________________

 

Jooheon was laying down in Hyungwon’s bed, staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. He had bid the other three goodnight hours ago, and yet his mind was racing with the events of that day. Since Hyungwon rarely slept to begin with, he was all alone in the large bed. Jooheon had grown accustomed to sleeping in the Necromancer’s bed alone, but tonight had kept him tossing and turning. 

 

He couldn't help but be amazed with Yuna’s strength. To actually summon a  _ real  _ dragon, despite its size, must have taken a lot of magical power. And the dragon itself, despite terrifying Jooheon at first, was actually quite beautiful and magestic. There really was no other animal like it, not even Yuna’s strange lizard warrior compared to it. 

 

However, the way it bit Hyungwon so suddenly really did scare him. He was frozen with fear that the dragon had lost control and was going to hurt all of them. However, his thoughts were soon proven wrong. It stuck to Hyungwon only, not threatening either him or Yuna in the slightest. 

 

Yuna explained that with what Hyungwon is, a Necromancer formed through intense hatred and darkness, that most animals instinctively see him as a threat regardless of his intentions. The explanation was really eye opening, reminding Jooheon of what Hyungwon really was. 

 

In the time that they'd spent together, he'd forgotten what Hyungwon was. His past. What he'd  _ done. _ Sure, Hyungwon is kind to him and has proven to be much more than what people fear, but that doesn't change that he is what he is. A sinful magician skilled in the art of dark, forbidden spells fueled by hatred. 

 

That may be true, and the world sees him as a monster, and yet Hyungwon isn't as scary as they say. He doesn't use the endless power he'd achieved for his own gain, at least not now. 

 

Hyungwon could've easily killed the dragon that harmed him. Could have easily pried it off himself and yet he didn't. Whether it was for Yuna’s sake to protect her rare familiar or because he didn't want to harm it, it was still something unexpected of someone supposedly driven by evil. Had Jooheon not known Hyungwon so well, he would have thought he'd turn violent against it. 

 

But Hyungwon is anything but violent, he's learned. Only becoming the cold, powerful Necromancer when in danger. 

 

Hyungwon was gentle. Kind. Jooheon was starting to think that maybe Hyungwon didn't commit the murder of his family. How could a generous person such as himself do something like that? Maybe he didn't do it, or maybe someone set him up…

 

Jooheon wasn't sure, but he didn't want to believe it. The Hyungwon he knew is different from the one everyone else knows. He couldn't have done something so vile, not on his own will at least. 

 

“Can't sleep?” Jooheon jumped at the sudden voice, not noticing the aforementioned Necromancer walk into the room. He was looking down at Jooheon with curiosity. 

 

“No,” he breathes out. 

 

“Something bothering you?” Hyungwon asks, concern laced in his voice as he sits down on the edge of the bed. 

 

Jooheon remains quiet, unsure of what to say. Yes, the mystery that is Chae Hyungwon is bothering Jooheon, has been for a couple weeks now, but could he just out right ask? Jooheon didn't think it appropriate, didn't think this was the right time and yet the curious side of him wanted to know everything about Hyungwon. 

 

“You can trust me, you know.” Hyungwon suddenly says, “If anything is bothering you please tell me. I want to help you in any way I can.”

 

Jooheon’s heart swells with affection and love, the fact that Hyungwon cares so much still making him an emotional mess. He's glad he can rely on the other, and he supposes that if Hyungwon is here and willing to hear him out, he might as well speak his thoughts, no matter the risk. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” He starts off in a small voice. 

 

“Of course, Honey-Joo.”

 

The nickname only fuels Jooheon to continue as he sat up. “It's just…” He pauses in an attempt to form his words properly. “It's about your family.” Hyungwon instantly stiffens at the mention of them and Jooheon regrets bringing it up, yet he's come this far. He had to ask now. “Did you really kill them?” He whispers out, staring straight at Hyungwon. 

 

The white pupil that flawed Hyungwon’s left eye seemed to shine in an unsettling way in the darkness, and Jooheon had to resist the urge to look away. He had to know now. He had to know that the Hyungwon he knew was different from the one everyone else knew.

 

The one he knew was kind. Sweet. Soft. 

 

_ Not  _ a cold hearted murderer. He couldn't be. 

 

And yet Jooheon’s heart was pounding in anticipation. The silence stretched on and Jooheon regretted his question, wishing he were somewhere else. He could tell that the question shocked Hyungwon, seemingly frozen in place as he stared back at Jooheon with an unreadable expression.

 

Jooheon felt the need to explain his question and quickly said, “It's just that you're so different from what everyone says. You've shown me nothing but kindness, Hyungwon. You care so much, I didn't think I'd ever have anyone support me the way you do after my family died. I… I lo-”

 

“Yes, I did,” Hyungwon suddenly says in a low voice, standing up and turning away from Jooheon. Jooheon wanted to reach out and stop him, to pull him back onto the bed with him, and yet his words made Jooheon freeze. Hyungwon’s back was facing Jooheon now, so he couldn't see his face, but in the same, low monotone voice, he said, “I killed every person who shared my blood in order to gain the power I have now. I am a monster after all.” 

 

Before Jooheon could say anything, Hyungwon walked out of the room, leaving Jooheon in a stunned state. 

 

Jooheon wanted to cry with pain. He shouldn't have asked. Should have just stayed quiet, said something else. Not only was he proven wrong, but he also upset Hyungwon. 

 

The prospect of being proven wrong hurt more though. Jooheon was so sure that Hyungwon couldn't have done such a heinous act, and yet the person in question had admitted to it. He wanted so desperately to be right. Being told that he wasn't by Hyungwon himself broke his heart. And to be told right when Jooheon was ready to give Hyungwon his heart? He wasn't sure what to do now in the state of pain. It hurt. Hurt more than the scratch from the dragon. Burned more than the embers that consumed his body that fateful night. 

 

A part of him wanted to stand up and go after Hyungwon and the other half told him to stay put. 

  
Jooheon laid back down, repressing the urge to cry. He returned to his usual position of staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Except this time, his heart was hurting and he couldn't make it stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took super long to update so I'm sorry!! But I had a lot that I wanted to put into this chapter so I took time to make sure it was perf ~ it ends on a super sad note tho so I'm SORRY and I apologize in advance bc all chapters afterwards will be just as angsty rip


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter in the point of view of Hyungwonnie!
> 
> I want to start off by saying thank you all?? So much?? I didnt think this story would get as far as it did I legit wrote it for funsies at first but with all the support it gets? I couldn't be happier!!
> 
> So thank you all so much!!

“Did you really kill them?”

 

The question makes Hyungwon stiffen with with every muscle in his body. The question makes his blood run cold and his heart drop so low that he wonders if he's okay. 

 

Hyungwon, for the most part, can't see Jooheon’s expectant gaze. Fails to notice the worry quickly flash in his sharp eyes as he struggles to hold eye contact. Hyungwon, for a brief moment, forgets where he even is as the thing he dreaded to be questioned from the younger was sinking in. 

 

Hyungwon wanted to reply honestly, to tell Jooheon what he deserves to hear, but something, no,  _ someone  _ was keeping him from doing so. He couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted. 

 

He tried to fight it, to defy the demon within, but in turn Hyungwon’s body began to burn from within - the demons response to his defiance. An aching pain began to settle into his chest, and his body trembled ever so slightly as he fought the urge to curl up into a ball. 

 

“It's just that…” Jooheon suddenly says, interrupting Hyungwon’s internal strife. “... You're so different from what everyone says. You've shown me nothing but kindness, Hyungwon. You care so much, I didn't think I'd ever have anyone support me the way you do after my family died.” There's a look of deep affection in Jooheon’s sharp eyes as he stares at Hyungwon - a look he didn't think he'd ever have directed towards him. He's speaks so highly of the Necromancer, a fondness and tenderness in his voice as he speaks. 

 

Hyungwon should feel happy in this situation, should feel his own heart swell with affection upon listening to Jooheon’s words. And perhaps if the circumstances were different, if Jooheon didn't ask  _ that  _ question earlier, he would be happy. 

 

But at that moment, Hyungwon felt nothing but guilt and horror take hold of his body. He shouldn't have let this happen. Shouldn't have let his own feelings get this far. Shouldn't have let  _ Jooheon’s  _ feelings get this far. 

 

Jooheon deserved the best, and Hyungwon is  _ not  _ that. 

 

Hyungwon was a danger to Jooheon. He  _ knows  _ that. Knows that the thing sleeping in his body wants nothing more than to tear Jooheon away from him if he achieved the happiness only Jooheon could give him. 

 

The demon within him lives for nothing more than to make Hyungwon’s life a living hell. 

 

And if Hyungwon allows this to continue, his bright sun, his shining star that is Lee Jooheon would diminish at the hands of that demon. 

 

“I… I lo-”

 

Hyungwon couldn't allow that to happen. 

 

“Yes, I did.” Hyungwon suddenly says as a result to caving into the demons wishes to cover up the truth, interrupting Jooheon. The look of shock and slight horror that reflected in the younger’s face upon his words was almost too painful to bear. Hyungwon hated himself in that moment, for he never wanted to cause the other this much pain. He never wanted to be the reason for Jooheon being upset. 

 

Jooheon deserved the truth more than anything and Hyungwon wants nothing more than to give it to him. However, the curse that has afflicted him since he sought out the greater power he now possesses kept him from doing so. It made him say things against his will in favor of people believing that he committed the greatest sin of the century. 

 

“I killed every person who shared my blood in order to gain the power I have now.” Like a script imprinted into his mind, he recited what the demon within wanted him to say. However, Hyungwon couldn't bring himself to stay here. He couldn't stand to look at the pain he's caused Jooheon. Hyungwon may not be able to say what he wants to say, but he can at least will himself to leave. Even if it'd only bring the younger more pain. In that moment, Hyungwon wanted nothing more than to leave. 

 

As he stood up to leave, he continued to say the words that pained not only Jooheon, but himself. 

 

“I am a monster, after all.”

 

***

 

Hyungwon was panting heavily as the pain that rooted from his chest was now spreading to the rest of his body, his left eye being the most in pain. He clutched at his eye with one hand and his chest with the other as he strode through the woods in an attempt to get as far away from his house as possible. 

 

Images of Jooheon’s face - the face of someone who felt betrayed - flashed in Hyungwon’s mind. Jooheon had such a hopeful expression towards Hyungwon. Had wanted nothing more than for Hyungwon to say the words he wanted to hear. The look of hurt and sadness in his eyes when he was told otherwise had made Hyungwon hate himself more than he ever has. 

 

Hyungwon’s body trembled violently as the pain only worsened. He stopped in his tracks and hugged himself tightly as he tried to restrain the pain. It was beginning to be too much to bare, and yet if he lost control for even a second… 

 

_ You simply left the boy to wallow in his own pity? Is that any way to treat the man who loves you?  _

 

That painfully familiar voice rang in Hyungwon’s head as he struggled to restrain himself. 

 

“Shut up.”

 

_ He almost gave you his heart. Why reject it?  _

 

“I said, shut up! You know  _ exactly  _ why I did it, you demon!”

 

_ Is this your way of reciprocating that love? Do you think you're protecting the boy by pushing him away?  _

 

“It's what I have to do to keep you away from him. I won't let you bring any harm to him!”

 

_ So what will you do now? Go on pretending as if you don't care for this boy?  _

 

Hyungwon didn't respond and instead chose to focus on restraining himself. The aching pain that coursed through his body had only intensified tenfold the more the demon spoke. The Necromancer fell on his knees, unable to stand any longer. 

 

_ You tried to protect your family from me and you failed them.  _

 

“Silence!” Hyungwon screamed as he curled into himself. 

 

_ Do you really think you could protect Lee Jooheon from me? I can't wait to see the expression on your face when you watch him die at your own hands.  _

 

Hyungwon cried out in utter pain as his power began to fail him, a horrible pulse reverberating around him. He felt the ground shake underneath him and the trees rustle at the sudden gust his outburst created . 

 

Hyungwon was breathing heavily as the pain quickly began to subside from his limbs and turn to a numbing sensation. With it, the voice of the demon’s disappeared as well. 

 

The demon being able to speak while Hyungwon was awake and a burst of power like that without any physical preparations isn't without its costs. Reluctantly, Hyungwon looked up around him to examine the damage he'd done. 

 

Just as expected, the once green grass that surrounded him for a few feet was now dried to a pale brown, the life sucked out of it. The trees that once stood tall and firm were now shriveled up and lifeless from his power. His ability to suck the life out of common plant life to sustain his power is like second nature to Hyungwon - like breathing. Yet to do it to this extent and in the matter of a few seconds? 

 

Hyungwon groans as he buries his face into his own hands, disgusted with his own power. 

 

Hyungwon remained there for quite some time, curled up into a ball as he contemplated his next course of action. He knew he had to part ways with Jooheon as soon as possible in favor of saving him and yet he couldn't just leave him. He made him a promise to help him achieve his goal. But was Jooheon even ready to take such a big step? 

 

While he has improved greatly compared to when they first met, Hyungwon was worried that he'd be putting him in a difficult situation. 

 

However, the sooner he can accomplish it, the better it'd be for Jooheon, that's what's most important. And yet, Hyungwon wanted nothing more than for the younger to remain by his side. It was a selfish thought, Hyungwon knew this, but he couldn't help but feel sad about the inevitable. 

  
Forcing himself to stand, he took a deep breath before finally beginning to move. Coming up with a conclusion, he began to make his way to see someone he knew would be able to help. 


	12. Memories Long Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon doesn't return for a couple days after their 'talk' and Jooheon can't keep his mind off the Necromancer in his absence. In order to keep his mind busy, he turns to Hyungwon's unusually large book collection for entertainment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm alive and well!!! I'm so so sorry for not updating in a couple months but I've had... A LOT going on in my life. But this story was always on my mind even when I was caught up in so many things. Everything has toned down now so hopefully I'll keep updating more frequently. I swear it won't take me like 3 months to update again lol

Hyungwon doesn't return for four days and three nights after they're ‘talk’. In those days, Jooheon continues to train with Master Yuna who doesn't seem to question the Necromancer’s disappearance. She resumes his training as if Hyungwon was still with them, as if used to the Necromancer's sudden disappearances. And perhaps she is. Jooheon wishes he could be as easy going about it all. The Necromancer has disappeared on him many times before, but it was never like this. Never after such an important talk. Jooheon felt like he was to blame for it this time. 

 

In the time that they weren't training, Jooheon was miserable. Hyungwon was all he could think about; where he was, if he was okay, if he was thinking of Jooheon. He waited and hoped for Hyungwon’s return, thought about everything he would say to the Necromancer upon his return. Despite the terrible way Hyungwon left Jooheon, he wanted nothing more than to see him again. 

 

He wanted them to forget about that night of their talk. To put it past them and resume things the way they were. Despite knowing the truth about Hyungwon, he still loved him. Still wanted to be with him. 

 

However, Jooheon would be lying if the truth didn't change his view of the Necromancer even a little. It disturbs him that someone as kind as Hyungwon was capable of such a heinous act. Killing people, let alone your own family… The thought made Jooheon sick to his stomach. He lost his own family against his will. If Jooheon could, he would give up the entire world to have them back or better yet, to prevent their untimely demise. He can't understand Hyungwon in that aspect. 

 

Jooheon has so many mixed feelings about the Necromancer. He loves Hyungwon yet is disgusted by him. He wants to see him and yet he's not sure if he could ever look at him the same ever again. Jooheon isn't sure what to make of the entire situation. 

 

On the fourth night, when Master Yuna and her apprentice, Umji had finally left for the night, Jooheon is looking through some of the many books squeezed into the shelves of Hyungwon’s home. He can't sleep and has been struggling to do so since the night Hyungwon left so he's taken up on studying alone. Jooheon used to hate studying, found it to be the most tedious part of the day. However, now he craved to sit down with a book in his hand to take his mind off of everything. For a moment, Jooheon would forget about all that's bothering him - his missing master, the intense training he's going through, memories of his family - as he's engrossed in the book of his choice. On top of that, reading like this made it feel like he was still close to Hyungwon. Like he could just turn to his side and see the Necromancer right there too deep in his book to notice his eyes on him just as it happened many times before when they studied. 

 

Hyungwon had a large collection of books varying from fiction to nonfiction, plays and history textbooks. Jooheon has trouble deciding on just one book when there's so many to choose from. He can't help but wonder if Hyungwon has read every single one.  When they studied together, Hyungwon would usually pick a book out for Jooheon to read. Something he thought would be easy to get into for someone who didn't read much. Other days he'd choose a specific type of text to read that Jooheon could actually learn something of use from. It was much harder to decide on something when Jooheon himself didn't know what kind of literature he personally enjoyed. 

 

After some time, Jooheon decides on one of the thinner books with a navy blue spine. As he pulls it out and examines the cover, he notices that it isn't just any normal form of literature. He's half tempted to put it back into the shelf until he remembered Hyungwon’s words of never judging a book by its cover. A rule Hyungwon drilled into Jooheon’s head when he was first getting into the habit of reading with him. 

 

With a purse of his lips, Jooheon returns to the dinner table with the seemingly useless book and decides to at least take in a few pages. If by than he doesn't have an interest, then he'll put it back. 

 

Upon closer inspection, Jooheon notices that the book is very old and worn. The book is flimsy and nearly falling apart, Jooheon can't help but wonder why such a book in still in Hyungwon’s collection.

 

As he skims the first few pages, Jooheon realizes that it's a book for the basics of alchemy. Things that any human could make without the use of magic and with just the right ingredients. It started off with simple things like potions that lowered fevers, mixtures that kept crops safe from wild animals. Things that didn't take much effort to make. 

 

Jooheon notices that the book has writing in it outside of the original text. On the margin of each page there are little notes scribbled on in fairly bad handwriting. It's small and Jooheon has to squint to read it, but it says, ‘be careful when making. If any more of the herbs are used than necessary, it can cause more harm than good. Use no more than 5 stems for a high fever.’

 

Jooheon wonders if Hyungwon himself wrote this, however the handwriting could compare to that of a child's… 

 

Huffing in boredom, Jooheon decides to flip through the pages in hopes of finding something that would be of interest to him. Sure, knowing how to lower a fever is useful and all, but not when there isn't a fever to lower in the first place… As he flips through the pages, he notices that there's writing marked throughout many of the pages inside. Some parts of the text are underlined or starred as if to mark its importance. Others have more notes written in at either the bottom of the page or in the margins. Jooheon notices that it's mostly that bad, chicken scratch kind of writing for most of the pages, but sometimes he'll come across a more refined print. The owner of the elegant handwriting had to be from someone much older. 

 

Jooheon freezes in place when a loose paper slips out from between the pages and onto the table. He picks it up and examines it, only to notice that it was a picture of a beautiful woman and a young boy. The woman had long dark hair and emerald green eyes and her outfit somewhat reminded him of something that Kihyun would wear in his office. She wore a long white coat like his and wondered if she was a renowned healer or herbalist just the same. The woman looks professional and is standing straight with a small smile on her face whereas the boy seems upset. The boy his light brown hair and green eyes. He doesn't have a smile and he isn't even looking at the camera, eyes directed to the side and away from it and the woman. Upon closer inspection, he notices that the picture is just as old and beaten as the book it was kept in. The edges are torn and battered and the color is faded from who knows how long it'd been in there. 

 

It doesn't take a genius to guess that the picture is of Hyungwon and his mother. The child in the picture has many of the same facial features, and even the woman shares some of those physical qualities. What bothers Jooheon is the sad look on Hyungwon’s face. The woman seems so happy and excited, and yet Hyungwon looks almost solemn. As if something terrible happened right before the picture was taken. 

 

Or maybe something terrible was about to happen… 

 

The picture itself was seemingly a happy one at first glance, but the longer he looked the more disturbing it became. 

 

Jooheon flipped the picture over and found more writing there in that same almost illegible handwriting on the back. It said, ‘Never Forget. Mother doesn't deserve any of it.’ and a date scrawled beside it. It was only two sentences comprised of a few words, but it made Jooheon feel like he was looking at something he really shouldn't have. It made Jooheon feel sick and even more disturbed than before. 

 

Forget what? Didn't deserve what? To be forgotten? Or was it referring to something else? Jooheon had so many questions and this little message was just too vague. However, Jooheon felt like he didn't want to know the answer to his questions… 

 

Underneath the writing, there's a strange symbol that Jooheon could barely recognize as a small magic circle. On such a small picture frame, Jooheon wonders what it's even for. He's seen these types of circles while under Hyungwon and Yuna’s training many times but they've always been at least a foot big depending on what was being done. This magic circle was barely bigger than a few inches. For what purpose would it serve? 

 

Without thinking, Jooheon gently grazes his thumb over the marking as he examines it. It was quickly scribbled on and sloppy compared to the magic circles he's seen his masters draw. 

 

Jooheon froze when the marking begins to emit a faint blue glow underneath his thumb. His eyes widen when he feels a faint shock run through his thumb and up his arm after touching it. The shock ran through the rest of his body and he felt like he was being pulled away from himself. The sensation made him tense up with every muscle in his body, almost causing him to drop the picture out of his hand.

 

What was happening? Why did the magic circle activate? 

 

Suddenly, the sensation became numbing and Jooheon’s vision began to obscure. What used to be the living room of Hyungwon’s home was becoming someplace completely different, a place he wasn't familiar with. It took a moment for everything to take shape and become clear, but once it did, Jooheon realized that he was looking at the picture of the boy and his mother again. Except it wasn't a picture at all. The two were right in front of him, posing for the picture that they took. 

 

Jooheon watched in horror and confusion as the woman pulled away from the boy and walked over to where the camera was placed to take a look at what they took. “Hyungwon! You weren't even looking at the camera! I'm not letting you go until you take a decent picture with your mother…”

 

The boy, this young version of Hyungwon, doesn't respond and instead turns and takes a seat on one of the stools in the room. Jooheon jumps away from younger Hyungwon as if scared to be touched by this version of him. However, he quickly realizes that he can't be seen by him at all. Jooheon relaxed a little at that realization. Just a little… Jooheon looks around the room and notices that this is similar to that of a doctors office and even reminds him of where Kihyun took care of him and his patients, except bigger and with more trinkets to play with. Some of the items here seemed bigger and far more expensive than what Kihyun had. 

 

Hyungwon is looking down at his lap, twiddling his thumbs as his mother continues, “Don't you find these amazing, Hyungwon? I mean, we can now capture any moment of our lives and hold onto them forever with these things! Before these, we would have to sit still for hours as a painter did this sort of thing for us. Now, with just a click of a button and -”

 

“And with a little magic…” Hyungwon finishes, a sort of bite to his tone as he spoke. He still isn't looking at her, as if avoiding her gaze. Jooheon can't help but notice that it's intentional at this point, as if trying to hide something.

 

The woman freezes as if realizing what she'd said. She stares at Hyungwon with a hurt expression before placing the camera down. She walks over to her son and pulls him into a hug. However, Hyungwon does not return it, still staring in any direction that she wasn't. “Hyungwon, listen to me…” She begins to run her hand through his hair in a comforting manner. “You may not have been born with my gift, but that doesn't make you any less special. You're still you, and you will always be my son. There's nothing anyone could say that will change that, got it? I'll always love you no matter what you do.” Hyungwon begins to softly sob against his mother's chest. She leans back just far enough to cup Hyungwon’s face in her hands, however the boy is still reluctant to look at her as he sobs. “Please don't cry, darling. Please look at me.” 

 

Jooheon awkwardly watches from beside them, his heart hurting for Hyungwon. This young version of him, probably no older than twelve, was clearly the result of a child who didn't see the worth of their life. Living in the shadows of his talented family must not be easy and the stress was getting to him at such a young age… 

 

The woman lifts Hyungwon’s head so that she could look at his face. However, she freezes in place, and the soft look of adoration she had slowly changed to a look of slight horror and confusion. Her eyes widened as she stared into her son's eyes, and Jooheon couldn't understand why. Curious, he stepped around the two to get a better glimpse. 

 

Jooheon’s heart dropped when he looked into Hyungwon’s eyes. Jooheon had somehow grown used to the contrasting colors of Hyungwon’s pupils, but this time it was different. Hyungwon was only a child in this strange memory so Jooheon expected him to have his eyes of normal color. Young Hyungwon didn't have the strange markings that flawed the left side of his face now, so he half expected his eyes to be like that of a normal person's. 

 

However, looking into Hyungwon’s teary eyes, he noticed they weren't the same at all. This time, both eyes held the bright white pupils in the center of them. Somehow, it seemed more unsettling than the contrasting colors. Like this wasn't Hyungwon at all. 

 

“You're not my son…” The woman whispered as she pulled away from the boy. “What have you done to Hyungwon?”

 

“I… I am Hyungwon.” The boy stuttered out between sobs, wiping his tears away. “I… I'm… your son. Please… Help me… I don't want to do this.”

 

The woman has a look of shock and confusion as she examined the boy before her. “Do what?”

 

The boy sobs even harder before curling into himself in seemingly pain. This scene is unfortunately familiar to Jooheon, except this time he's helpless to do anything at the disturbing sight. Something about seeing a child suffer the same way made Jooheon’s heart hurt more than when he usually saw Hyungwon in this state.

 

Suddenly, a pressure of wind strong enough to knock the woman back a few steps burst from seemingly Hyungwon’s body. Purple, almost black tendrils appeared from his body and pointed towards the woman threatening. 

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” Hyungwon cried before screaming out in pain. The tendrils shot towards the woman all too quickly. 

 

“No!!” Jooheon screamed, reaching out for the woman. Something came over him to reach out in an attempt to save her, despite knowing that this wasn't real. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing her die. 

 

He had to save her. 

 

He couldn't let her die. 

 

Jooheon failed his family, but this time he had a chance to save someone. He had to at least try and move, something he couldn't do the night of the dragon attack. 

 

He was only a few feet away from the woman, but the tendrils were faster. They were only inches away from her chest, from taking her life. 

 

Jooheon gasped and jerked when he felt something grab hold of his arm. All too suddenly, the scene in front of him changed back to the living room of Hyungwon’s home. Jooheon’s heart was pounding as he was panting and sweating profusely. He noticed that his arm was held out like when he reached for the woman only now there was a hand tightly gripping his arm. 

 

Looking up, he noticed Hyungwon -  _ his _ Hyungwon, markings and all - looking down at him with an unreadable expression. 

 

“Hyungwon…” Jooheon whispered as he tried to regain his breath. 

 

Looking at Hyungwon, Jooheon didn't know how to react or feel. A part of him was happy to see him after being gone so long, but another part wished he'd chosen a better time to return. After what he saw - this disturbing memory from Hyungwon’s childhood - he wanted nothing more than to stay away from the Necromancer. It was hard to look at him and yet he wanted to speak with him. He had so many questions, so many thoughts racing through his mind. He wanted at least a bit of time to fully understand what he saw, to sort out his thoughts. But it seemed like he wasn't going to be given any time to think. 

 

“How did you activate it?” Hyungwon suddenly asks in a low voice. His hand hasn't moved away from Jooheon’s arm and instead has began to slowly tighten his grip around his arm. 

 

Jooheon feels somewhat threatened and finds himself unable to respond. How could he? Even he wasn't sure how he did it. How could he answer a question even he didn't know the answer to? 

 

Hyungwon stares down at the younger for a long minute, a deep frown etched into his features. Jooheon wonders what's going through the Necromancer’s head. He was obviously upset, not that he could blame him. Jooheon saw something he really shouldn't have. Did Master Yuna or even Minhyuk know about this photo? It was far too personal for anyone’s eyes to see, Jooheon only found it because of his boredom and somehow triggered it to show him something only Hyungwon knows of. Jooheon felt extremely guilty about it but couldn't find it in himself to explain. 

 

Finally, Hyungwon let's go of his arm and sighs. He isn't looking at Jooheon anymore, instead focusing his attention to the ground. He's rubbing his head, as if trying to message a headache away. “You shouldn't play with things like that, Jooheon.”

 

The younger felt like he was being scolded like a child who got into his dad's tool box and almost hurt himself. Jooheon knew now that what he saw was a memory of Hyungwon’s but it couldn't be dangerous, could it? 

 

“I'm sorry,” Jooheon finally brings himself to say, voice small. “I didn't mean to, I… I was just…”

 

Jooheon didn't know how to explain himself. Sure, he found the picture on a whim while trying to entertain himself, but how does he explain activating it? He wanted to say something, anything to make Hyungwon feel better, but he couldn't.. 

 

“Just… Go to bed.” Hyungwon finally says. He has an almost pained expression on his face as he speaks, voice still in that low tone. “We'll continue our training in the morning.” He says before turning around and leaving the house once more.

 

Jooheon is left in a daze as he stares at the door. His heart hurts just like the night Hyungwon left and he can barely fathom why. Hyungwon has finally returned to him and he couldn't even bring himself to be happy about it. Not after what he saw. Seeing this memory of Hyungwon and his mother was very… Enlightening. Yet an utter mystery. Hyungwon wasn't Hyungwon in that memory, and yet it was no doubt him. Even his mother wasn't sure what had happened to her son. And to see the woman be mere seconds away from death was the most disturbing. Jooheon wasn't sure if he could've handled seeing her die at the hands of Hyungwon. 

 

At the very least, this shines at least a bit light on the mystery that is Chae Hyungwon. The death of his mother and most likely his family as well,  _ was  _ by his hands, but it wasn't his will. Jooheon wasn't sure if he could ever forget the way young Hyungwon begged for forgiveness as he did something he didn't want to do. 

 

How he saw it remains a mystery to be solved for another day, though. For now, Jooheon felt unusually exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Going to bed, despite how things were left off between him and the Necromancer, didn't sound like a bad idea. Jooheon got up and dragged himself to bed, wondering if Hyungwon would be joining him sometime through the night.


End file.
